The Prince's War
by Super Comrade
Summary: Conn, son of Conan, is the heir of Aquilonia but he feels like he doesn't deserve the crown and seeks to earn it. He sets sail for the continent of Atlatan, where he will gather allies and rally armies as he participates in the Grancrest War.
1. 1 Off to Atlatan

The Prince's War

**AN: Hello there, my dear readers! Man, this one came out just after I posted another prologue for a different story. Well, inspiration hits you when you least expect it. Now I already announced this crossover in my The Stranded Barbarian story so I decided to put this chapter out. The reason for this is because I think it can work well as a crossover with Conan and because there really aren't proper fanfictions of Record of the Grancrest War.**

**I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

1 Off to Atlatan

Aquilonia, by many, considered the mightiest kingdom of the Hyborian Age. It thrived during the rule of its newest king for almost two decades, the corruption was almost not present, the alliances with other kingdoms are holding firm, and people were happy. Not everything has been perfect, nothing could be. Aquilonia suffered its fair share of wars, conflicts and political unrest during those two decades but everyone would rather that it be like this than how it was before.

Within the royal palace, which was located within Tarantia, the capital of Aquilonia, however, there was currently another unrest. Within its mighty walls, a howl of rage could be heard.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE ISN'T HERE?!"

The man who stood in front of the king could only squirm under his mighty glare. The servants around also feeling their blood freeze, feeling the rage emitted from the bronze-skinned giant.

Conan, despite nearing his sixties looked younger than someone of his age should be. Still, the blackness of his long hair did begin to gray and he had some wrinkles on his face. He was dressed in his usual royal blue tunic, sandals, white cape and a golden crown on his head.

"I-I'm…" the servant man stuttered before taking a heavy gulp of saliva, his head sweating profusely. "I'm sorry, b-but h-he w-w-wasn't there where w-we l-looked for him, sire."

A young woman then came into the room. She had purple hair and blue eyes and was dressed in a simple blue dress and sandals.

"Father, what is going on here?" she asked as she looked the angry expression of her father.

Conan calmed down, letting out a deep breath and palming his face. His daughter had a good effect on him, not being able to be too angry in her presence.

"It's your brother," Conan said in annoyance. "He wasn't with his instructors this morning so I sent someone to look into his room."

The young woman's eyes widened before she looked at the servant. "He isn't there either? What happened?"

"We… aren't sure, princess Lira," the servant said, much calmer when he talked to the king's daughter. "The room was locked when we arrived so we knocked to see if he was there. When we got no response for a while we were worried but luckily we had someone who knew how to pick locks so getting inside wasn't that much of a problem, but when we entered we found no one."

"Was he kidnapped?" Lira asked in a slight panic.

"We aren't sure, there was no sign of struggle."

"Then I can safely say he wasn't kidnapped," Conan quickly said as his eyes narrowed. "There is no way they could have taken him by force without any sign of struggle. And he is too careful to be poisoned."

Lira turned to Conan. "Are you saying… he escaped?"

Conan said nothing, his worries as a king and as a father were obvious. He turned to the servant. "Gather a search party and tell them everything! Now, go and FIND PRINCE CONN!"

The servant flinched at Conan's sudden rise of tone, showing even more how serious the king was. Then the servant quickly bowed his head. "Yes, sire! It will be done!" and then he went away with a hurried step, motivated by both his duty and his fear of the angry king.

Conan then turned to his daughter. "Lira, do you have any spell that can track him?" he asked in an utmost serious voice.

"You mean if I can use a Clairvoyance spell? Sorry, father but that spell is far more complicated than an offensive spell, I still haven't perfected it."

Conan grumbled under his breath. He would ask her mother "Fine then. I'll need to check on the search parties and advise them if necessary." And with that, he walked away.

Lira could only look sadly as her father walked away frustrated. If she was being honest, this is the last thing their family needed. Then she saw someone else enter the room. It was a tall young man, with a very muscular build, dark skin, long black hair, and green eyes. He was dressed in red short pants sandals, his upper body being completely uncovered except for gold bracelets on his arms.

"What is all this fuss about, sister?" he asked as he looked at Lira.

"Our brother, Conn, has seemingly escaped," she explained causing her brother to narrow his eyes similarly to their father.

"So that brat got in trouble," he said with an eye-roll. "Why am I not surprised?"

"What do you mean, Derios?" Lira asked curiously.

"Well, he has been arguing with his father a lot these days," Derios said. "I thought he might do something drastic. I'll inform our brothers and sisters about this." He then also departed.

"Oh, I just hope that he is alright," Lira said in a worried tone.

* * *

Conn, the prince and heir to the throne of Aquilonia, was currently walking through the busy city streets. He was a young man that greatly resembled his father, similar height, build and even the same hair and eyes. However, his facial features were softer compared to his father's more rugged features, something he got from his mother, queen Zenobia, and his skin wasn't bronze since he didn't spend as much time in the Sun.

He left his room in the middle of the night and found himself a fast horse. After that, he made sure to avoid the guards and any border sentries, which he was very familiar with. He rode southward of Aquilonia, passing Poitain reaching one of the coastal cities of Argos.

The reason for his sudden escape was simple. Since he was the heir of the throne he wanted to rightfully earn the crown. His father earned it through blood and sweat, not just getting it by being born. Conn wanted to do the same, but his father just said that he knew that he was worthy. Conn didn't believe it. He hasn't participated in any great battles, he hasn't vanquished any mighty foe, and his father made sure he didn't need to. Ever since the death of his mother, his father has been more protective of him than any of his other children. Even Derios had led his own battle at the Pictish Wilderness.

So he decided that this was the best way he could prove himself. To the south was located a continent called Atlatan, which has been discovered around ten years ago. It had its own kingdoms and empires, and from what Conn learned, there was an incident that restarted a great conflict between the two leading nations. It was a perfect place to start.

While he walked, Conn was wearing a brown hood over his head. While not many people could outright recognize him, his father had allies that could report to him if they saw him. Conn looked towards one of the ships, which is the one he recognized bore a crest of the Factory Alliance, one of the struggling powers on Atlatan. Currently, it was being loaded with goods to trade, which was established not too long after the people of two continents met.

"Come on, let's load these crates to the ship! We want to be finished before midday!" yelled one of the men, which Conn assumed was a captain.

"Hey there!" Conn called out getting the captain's attention. "Is this ship set for Atlatan?"

"We are. What's it to you?" the captain asked with his arms crossed.

"I need a ship to get to the continent. I would like you to sail me there," Conn explained.

"The passenger ship departed this port yesterday. We are only here for this cargo," the captain said as he pointed at the crates behind him. "And our cargo doesn't include passengers."

"Oh, I can make it worth your while," Conn said as he took out a small bag from his cloak and gave it to the captain. The man took the bag and opened it, his eyes widening as he saw that it was filled with gold.

"Well, I… I suppose I can make an exception this time," the captain said with a smile as he closed the bag and pocketed it. "But just so you know, we aren't stopping in your desired destination. We still need to deliver these goods."

"That won't be a problem," Conn said. "I can manage."

With that, Conn walked to the deck of the ship, ready to sail off to Atlatan and whatever test it had for him.

* * *

**AN: And that is all for now. As you see, the focus here won't be on Conan, but on his son Conan II, or Conn for short. The reason for this is because I think that he could fit as the main character more than Conan could, and he really can be the main character in his own right. I hope that doesn't bother you too much. When will the next chapter be uploaded? Not sure since I plan on focusing on my Star Wars/Akame ga Kill story, but I hope it doesn't take too long.**

**Well, I hope to hear your feedback. And check out my other stories.**

**See you next time!**


	2. 2 A Lord You Shall Be

The Prince's War**  
**

**AN: And here's the next installment of The Prince's War. Now to clarify something, I'm not familiar with the Light Novels of this franchise. They aren't translated to English and I know jack about Japanese. So to all you LN readers, I'm sorry if I get any details wrong. I'm only going off the anime and manga, as limited as it is. So I hope you end up enjoying it still.**

**Now to reviews.**

**Zaraki6: I'm not sure if that is a positive or negative response, so I'm going to assume positive.**

**Dracus6: It will most likely be like that.**

**Evowizard25: I get that the anime isn't for everyone, but for me it's good. And I think that Theo is a pretty good MC. (and wars are usually fought over stupid reasons). He most likely will end up with Aishela (her relationship with Petr didn't really go anywhere, from what I've seen at least).**

**Conn wasn't actually a part of the original storied by Robert E. Howard but was a later edition in novels written by other authors such as L. Sprague de Camp. And yes, it's in the same universe.**

**And thanks, I hope I don't disappoint.**

* * *

2 A Lord You Shall be

Conn stood on the deck of the ship that was carrying him to Atlatan, a midday breeze ruffling his shoulder-length hair that was now uncowled. It has been several days after he began his journey and there wasn't much to do except talk and sometimes assist the crew with some work, the latter of which wasn't that much of a problem considering that, like his father, he was far stronger than an average man.

However, during the talks with the captain, he came to understand more of the political situation and the unrest between the Factory Alliance and the Fantasia Union.

"So, from what I understood from all of this," Conn said as he rubbed his chin. "Lady Marinne Kreische refused to ally with Lord Alexis Deucet through marriage after the incident during the wedding that killed hers and Alexis' fathers."

"Yeah, that about sums it up," the captain answered. "And from what I know, Lady Marinne still mourns her father's death even after six months, which is why she still wears black."

"But shouldn't they have proceeded with the wedding? The incident obviously wasn't an assassination attempt on either one of them, but both. Their alliance would have increased the chances of finding the real culprit instead of continuing the conflict."

The captain only shrugged. "Look, that's not my problem. I'm only here to deliver cargo, not give out political opinions."

Conn now thought of the situation. He knew that if he was going to succeed in his plan he had to ally with someone. After hearing about what type of rulers were these Marrine Kreishe and Alexis Deucet, he thought that his best chance might be the Fantasia Union. He honestly didn't the mentality that the Alliance's leader seemed to have. And considering he was on the Alliance ship he wasn't going there anytime soon if he stayed.

Conn looked over the deck and saw the landmasses they were sailing by. He wasn't able to recognize any of them due to his lack of knowledge in this continent's topography.

"Now if you excuse me, I have to go," the captain said before walking away.

"Wait for just a moment, captain," Conn called out making the man halt and look at him. "How long until we reach your destination?"

"You mean Stark? Well, it'll take us about a day or so," the captain explained.

A day? Then that means that they were still far from the Alliances territory, which meant that the landmasses next to them belonged to the Union. Perfect, Conn thought.

"Well then, Captain, I thank you for your assistance," he said as he strapped a small wooden box on his belt next to his longsword. "But I have to go."

"Hm? What are you-?" the captain turned to ask but was surprised by seeing Conn actually run across the deck and leap off the ship into the water below, causing a big splash to appear. Several men including the captain went to check on what was going on.

"What the hell is he doing?" one of the crewmembers said as they looked at Conn who was now swimming to the shore.

The captain only stared at him for a little while before turning away. "Whatever he is doing is no longer our problem. We got his gold, we transported him and what he decides next is up to him. Now come on, and get back to your posts! We have more important things to do!"

The crew obliged and went back to their work. Still, the captain wondered what the young man had in mind.

Conn swam towards the landmass in front of him in a hurried manner. While it was quite a distance away that didn't really bother him since he had enough for it not to be too tiring. As he neared the land, he saw a gathering of rocks in the water.

Conn quickly grabbed unto the nearest one and with a good push got himself out of the water to stand on the rock. He rubbed his eyes to clear the seawater out of the way, took off his cloak and went to dry it a little. He twisted the cloak until a lot of the water dripped away; he didn't need it weighing him down.

Reattaching his cloak, he leaped unto the next rock, and the next, and the next until he got close enough and leaped unto the rocky side of the land and grabbed onto some of the bulging formations on it. He then began climbing up, mentally thanking his father for teaching him how to climb like a true Cimmerian.

He quickly reached the top and jumped unto the grassy ground. Dusting himself off, he headed towards the forest in front of him. The first step has been made, and now he needed to continue making others.

"Alright, now I just need to find someone for directions. Can't say if I'm in Mansour or Kilhis," Conn said as he recollected the map of Atlatan he has been studying. He checked over his equipment as saw that it was all still in place.

Satisfied, he began walking through the woods. He walked for a while until he stumbled upon a road. Smiling, he followed the road, which would no doubt lead him to civilization.

The walk was boring, for the most part, having nothing else to do but to think over what exactly he could do prove himself. He could overthrow a lord and take his place, but he would have to be careful because if he takes out the wrong type of lord he might the people's ire and be hated. Perhaps he could serve under one for a while and eventually rise in rank, but that would probably take a while.

Decisions, decisions. And none of them were easy. Then again, his father didn't have it easy when he took the Aquilonian throne after he killed Numedides so this was probably perfect.

Conn's ears then picked up a sound of growling next to him, something predator-like. He unsheathed his sword in the blink of an eye and put it in front of him as a defense. He looked around, not sure where the growling came from.

Then something roared behind him and Conn quickly turned to see some sort of wolf jumping at him. It was completely black, though the blackness didn't look like fur but some sort of miasma, with glowing red eyes.

Instinctively, Conn swung his sword, cutting the demon wolf in half mid near him, some blood splattering on his face. The two halves of the creature unceremoniously dropped on the ground.

"Quite a welcome-"

He then suddenly heard another growl coming from behind and quickly turned, but wasn't quick enough as whatever jumped was able to pounce on him and knock the sword out of his hands. He then landed on his back with a grunt, his hands grabbing the maw of the creature which turned out to be another bigger wolf demon.

Conn had to admit, this thing was strong, definitely stronger than a regular wolf. It tried to bite him but Conn was able to push it back, and with a mighty heave he pushed the wolf off of him. The young prince quickly got to his and the wolf followed soon after. It growled at him, its eyes glowing brighter than before.

The wolf attacked again, but Conn was ready this time. He waited until it was just close enough before quickly moving out of the wolf's bite and quickly wrapping his mighty arms around its neck. They both struggled, the wolf trying to get out of the young man's grasp while Conn kept his hold on it.

"Your life was forfeit when… you attacked me… creature," Conn said between grunts. He then began squeezing, the wolf gasped for breath but Conn was unrelenting as he made one final squeeze that crushed the creature's neck, silencing it forever.

Conn dropped the corpse on the ground. He looked around to see if there was something else lurking about and ready to pounce on him. Not finding anything, he went to retrieve his dropped sword and sheathed it.

"Well, at least I can cross out fighting demons, I suppose," Conn muttered under his breath. While not really an all-important component in his quest, his father and his siblings fought and defeated demons, unlike him. "I wonder if there is a wizard I can kill as well."

Then he heard something strange. It sounded like… waves? He saw some black smoke coming from the dead demon wolves and begin to gather in a single spot. Soon a huge black ball of smoke formed in that spot.

"Crom's devils," Conn said quietly as he stared at the thing. What was going on? Were those things reforming? Making something even more dangerous? His eyes narrowed as he took out his sword. Whatever that thing was, he wasn't just going to stand there and let it attack him.

Conn swung his blade right at the black ball, cutting through it, but once it reached the middle it stopped. Conn was shocked and tried to pull out the blade but some force suddenly pulled on him. He gasped as he forcibly moved forward until his hands were plunged into the black ball. Conn growled before pulling hard, trying to get his hands out of whatever monstrosity this was. He pulled as hard as he could and was seemingly successful but the black ball then began receding into his right hand. Panicking, he pulled with all his might and was actually able to get his hands out but the black ball completely disappeared into his right hand.

Conn landed on his backside, his sword still in his hand. "Mitra and Crom, what the hell was that?" Conn said as he rubbed his head. Then he was slightly blinded by a red glow coming from his hand and he quickly examined it. There was a strange red symbol of an intricate floating a few centimeters above it. He moved his hand a bit and saw the symbol move along with it.

Wait, he heard of these things before. The lords of these lands called them… crests he believed. It was a sort of magic they used on the continent to determine your rank. Did he receive it from killing those demons? He didn't know that that was one of the ways you could achieve a noble status.

He wondered how to make it go away. He focused, thinking of the symbol not being there. And just then the crest disappeared.

"That's… very interesting," Conn said as he looked over his hand for a few moments. "I shouldn't waste too much time gawking. I need to move."

He got up and went back to what he was previously doing, following the road.

* * *

It was the morning of the next day where Conn found himself once again walking on the road. It seems that wherever he decided to swim to was pretty far from any civilized area. Still, that didn't deter him. He was certain that he would find someone soon enough as it was impossible for this entire country to be abandoned.

He once again glanced at the back of his hand. He focused and the red crest appeared again. He wasn't sure what that meant exactly as he was still not familiar with the politics of this continent. That crest gave him a rank but what was it exactly? A low rank? A high rank?

Then he stopped as he once again heard some growling away from the road. He once again drew his sword, ready for yet another battle. Going through some nearby bushes where he thought he heard the sound. Then he heard something that sounded similar to stabbing. He got into a clearing and saw a man that was descended upon by yet another demonic creature that looked like a panther. He was about to go and help but after observing the situation slightly more he saw the man was in no danger. The creature was biting at the gauntlet the man wore while the man himself stabbed the beast through the neck with a sword.

Conn walked up to the downed man, grabbed the panther and threw it away before giving the man a hand.

"Oh, thank you," the man said as he got up and sheathed his sword. Now Conn had a good look at his features. He was pretty young with short dark-green hair, brown eyes, average height. He wore a green coat with golden highlights, a gauntlet that went up the entirety of his left arm that was held by two belts, a white shirt, gray pants, and brown boots.

Conn just looked to the side where he threw the creature and saw the dark ball already forming. "You might want to get that," Conn said making the green-haired man look confused before he also noticed the ball.

"What is that?" he asked.

Conn just gestured at it. "Put your hand in there, and pull out," he explained. The man killed the beast fair and square, he deserved his reward.

"W-what?" the young man asked, still unsure. Conn only groaned, grabbed him by the arm and pulled him to the ball. "Hey, wait a minute!" Conn just ignored him and pushed his hand into the ball and at the same time making sure his own hand didn't touch.

The green-haired youth's hand was now stuck in the black mass and he tried to get it out but it was harder than it seems. He turned to Conn in panic. "What do I do?!"

"Get the hand out and don't let the ball pull you in," Conn said matter-of-factly and just continued standing.

With shut eyes and grit teeth, the man pulled hard, determined to get himself out of the situation. It worked as the ball went into his hand. He opened his eyes and began panting, a blue crest appearing on the back of his hand.

"What the-"

"Congratulations, you are a lord now," Conn said with a smile.

"A… a lord? I became a lord?"

Conn sighed at that. "Do you have brain damage? Yes, you are a lord. Don't make me repeat it again."

"Oh, I… I see," he said, still looking at the crest above his hand. The crest soon disappeared and he turned to Conn with a smile and put his hand forward. "I'm Theo, from Sistina," the now-named Theo introduced himself.

Conn smiled before taking his hand and giving it a firm shake. "Conn, of Aquilonia," he returned the gesture. Normally, using your real name and place of origin would be a dead giveaway about who you are, but many people hail from Aquilonia and outside his family and friends, no one knew he was called Conn. Everyone just knew him as Conan II so using his nickname doesn't really give away much.

Theo pulled his hand away in a slight wince. "Man, you've got quite a grip," he commented as he rubbed his hand before raising an eyebrow. "Wait, Aquilonia?" He then put his fingers on his chin in thought. "Isn't that from the continent up north called Hyboria?"

Conn nodded. "The one and only."

"That's… very interesting actually," Theo mused. "So, what business do you have in Atlatan?"

"Oh, I'm just… trying to make a name for myself," Conn explained before putting up his own hand to show his crest making Theo gasp.

"You're… a lord?"

"I only became one recently, in a similar way you did actually, by killing those… whatever those dark creatures are. Though I had two of them," Conn said.

"Wow, you must be a really good fighter if that's the case," Theo said in an impressed.

"I suppose. But if I may ask," Conn began. "What is this place called? Or this country at least?"

"We are currently in the country of Mansour, but also very near the borders of Forbes if my guess is correct."

"I see. Well, at least now I know where I am," Conn said, but something else piqued his curiosity. "You said you are from Sistina. What are you doing so far away from home?"

"I'm… well… I'm in exile," Theo said making Conn look at him curiously. "My country is ruled by a tyrant family called the Rossini family. My people suffer under their rule, they did for a while now. But my father tried to help, making a secret grain barn, but he was betrayed and killed by the Rossinis. So I walked away, and now I'm trying to find a way to oppose them."

"Ah, so it's revenge you're after," Conn said.

Theo only looked at him with a serious expression. "What I want is for my people to be safe from the Rossini family. I want to liberate them."

The two of them only stared at each other for a few moments, as if trying to examine each other and read their intent. "I see," Conn said in a quieter tone. "And how do you plan on achieving that?"

"I originally planned to find a lord to serve under, and ask for their help," Theo said before looking back at his once again activated crest. "But since I'm a lord now I'll have a greater chance of that." He then once again looked at the secret prince. "So I again thank you for your help."

Conn could only grin after Theo said that before patting him on the shoulder. "I like that determination of yours," Conn said before turning away. "So good luck to you with that." He then began to walk away.

Theo looked shocked at the proclamation and blinked a few times in confusion. "Hey, wait!" he called out causing Conn to stop. "Won't you help me? Please, my people need it and I'm sure I can make it farther if you help me."

Conn gave a sigh. "Look, I'd like to help but I'm also trying to become a lord, gain my own land and people to rule. And who knows how long will it take for you to become a powerful enough lord with proper allies and influence for you to take back your country. If I help you then everything I do would need to be put the side."

Theo was silent for a few moments before his expression turned from shocked to dejected, he was honestly hoping he would receive Conn's help. "I see. Sorry, for asking then?"

The tone of his voice actually made Conn pause. He probably rejected the plea a bit too fast. He gave a sigh before turning back to the green-haired youth. "Look, we both want to become lords, right?" he asked which caused Theo to look at him expectantly. "So, we both go our separate ways and become lords individually. When that happens, I'll help you take care of your problem in Sistina. Sound fair?"

Theo looked somewhat astonished at what Conn was proposing before smiling. "Yes, that is… I thank you again," he said with a bow of gratitude.

Conn chuckled at that. "Alright, no need to thank me to death today. And rise up, I'm not your superior," he said and Theo obliged, a grateful smile still present on his face. "Well then, see you later, Theo of Sistina." He then once again went back on his way.

"To you as well, sir Conn!"

"Just Conn is fine!"

The two of them went their separate ways, Conn going further through the country Mansour while Theo's path led him to Clovis.

* * *

**AN: And that's it for now. Our two heroes met and went to forge their own ways to glory. You know Theo's story so I won't go to too much detail in the future about it.**

**Still, I hope you enjoyed. Check out my other stories and leave a review, trust me, they help.**

**See you next time!**


	3. 3 End of a Tyrant

The Prince's War

**AN: Hey there, my dear readers. Another installment of The Prince's War is here. While I didn't plan to focus too much on this, the story really grabbed me so I continued writing. Don't worry, A Look to the Past will be updated next.**

**And boy did that Coronavirus hit us hard. Since classes are now done online I have more time to write. And if any of you were majorly affected by the virus then I hope you get better and make a speedy recovery. I hope I can entertain you.**

**But now to reviews.**

**Evowizard25: While there is a reason it is very selfish and I don't really like Marrine. The reason might be better in the light novels, but I wouldn't know since I don't know Japanese. (and yeah, poor Alexis)**

**I'm glad to hear it.**

**Dracus6: Something like that might happen.**

* * *

3 End of a Tyrant

It's been over a day since Conn's meeting with Theo, and right now he was walking more-or-less aimlessly through the land. He survived by hunting the wildlife and finding some fresh sources of water, something that was taught to him by his father, as being a barbarian from the North such skills were more than needed.

He wondered what he should do from here. Should he join a band of mercenaries, some sort of thieves guild perhaps? Then he remembered that he had a crest on his hand, which made him a lord. The problem was, he controlled no land. So did this work? Would he need to gain permission from another lord? Is he permitted to claim someone else's rank? He honestly wished he could have learned more about this magic system this land had.

But right now he didn't need to burden himself with such thoughts. He needed to find a place to perhaps spend a night and have a good drink. He could sleep in the wilderness but still, even his father preferred the accommodations provided by a good inn. And who could say no to a good drink?

He watched the position of the sun, showing that it was the afternoon. His eyes narrowed, knowing that if this continues he would have to spend yet another night outside. And he was honestly getting annoyed by the constant sound of his boots meeting the ground. He wished that demons once again attacked him on the way just to make things interesting.

However, the young prince's luck was about to turn as he continued moving. On the left turn, the path was getting clearer of the surrounding trees and down the slope, he was able to see a small village at the end of the road. Smiling, he slightly hurried his step.

There were no guards in this village so entry wasn't any problem. It seemed quite normal, standard houses, some working fields, and a farmhouse at the other end of the village. However, as he walked through it, the populace was acting… somewhat strange. While they acted normally as you'd expect them to, the moment their eyes landed on him they either turned away and tried best not to look at him or became a lot more focused on what they were doing.

"Dad," a small voice came. Conn saw that it was a small boy next to a man pointing at him. "Is that guy a knight?"

The father then noticed Conn and gained a slightly panicked look before turning to his son. "Listen, it's rude to stare. We better let the man be." And he took his son by his hand and led him away, much to the boy's disappointment.

Conn raised an eyebrow. What was all that about? He knew that he probably didn't look like the most regular man around, but why the sudden fear? As he looked around he saw that none of the people were armed while he was, so that could be a factor. Still, that was hardly the reason to look at him like he was Death incarnate.

Either way, he was in the mood for a drink. Spotting a young man chopping wood near one of the houses, Conn approached him.

Conn coughed forcefully to get his attention, and the man was startled, almost dropping his axe while holding it over his head. He quickly turned to Conn and nervously eyed the arm that rested on Conn's sword hilt. "Oh, um… I…," he heavily stuttered, beads of sweat beginning to form on his head. He gulped before continuing. "Is there… uh… is there something you need of me?"

Now Conn seriously wondered what was wrong with these people. He didn't do anything yet, but these people were just about ready to run when they saw him.

"I just wondered where I could get a good drink," Conn answered.

"Oh, is that all?" he asked looking somewhat relieved as if he expected something worse. "Well, we do have a tavern here. Not far, just three houses from here across the road. Is… that all, sir?"

Conn just stared at the man for a moment. "Yes, thank you."

The man quickly bowed. "Any time, sir."

Conn then walked away. He noticed the building the man was talking about, which was slightly bigger than normal ones. There was also a sign with a mug near the entrance, signaling a tavern. He glanced back at the man, who was now talking to a woman similar to him in age. From what he could see she was worried. The man then took hold of her hands, seemingly to assure her that he was alright.

Conn then walked into the tavern, quite a spacious place and not many people inside. Though, it did look pretty plain, without any special decorations or anything, not that he minded. He walked to a nearby empty table and sat.

The half dozen men inside eyed him warily, particularly his longsword. Were strangers really so rare in these parts or were they cautious because he was armed? His attention was then diverted toward a woman that walked up in front of him. Conn had to admit she was quite something, beautiful face, dark blonde hair, shapely body and clothing consisting of a green dress that was showed off her shoulders and some of her breasts, and a beige apron.

Conn couldn't help but grin. "Well aren't you a sight for the sore eyes," he complimented causing the woman to blush, her eyes turning to the side.

"Is there… anything I can get for you?" she asked in a soft voice.

"Some ale," Conn answered to which she nodded and left.

Conn then once again observed the people around him. This time they seemed to get their attention to whatever they were doing previously, but Conn noticed two men on the counter still looking at him. It was more subtle than the rest but still noticeable to the prince. One of them was dressed in a grey cloak and boots, had short black hair and black eyes. The other also wore boots but he had a visible shirt and pants. He had long brown hair and eyes.

Conn's attention was once again diverted to the woman from before as she approached him with a mug of ale in her hands.

"Here you go, sir," she said before putting the drink on the table.

"Thank you. How much do I owe you?"

"Um, it's…" she struggled like she was trying to be careful about what to say. "I-it's, ten coppers, sir."

Ten coppers. That seemed a bit low if Conn was being honest. Was this woman trying not to anger him by giving him a too high price?

He reached into his pocket and took out his small bag of money. He then motioned for her to come closer which she did somewhat nervously.

"Let me give you something," he said before taking out his hand putting ten copper coins in her hand. "This is for the drink." Then he put five more coppers into her hand. "And this is a small bonus for you." She looked surprised at what he said. "Just something for your service."

"Oh… I…" she mumbled as she looked at her hand. "Thank you, sir. That's very generous," she said with a smile.

"Think nothing of it. If I'm being honest, you deserve more," he complimented causing her to blush with a nervous smile before she departed.

Conn just sat there grinning before taking a drink out of his mug. He had to admit it tasted really good, definitely worth more than ten coppers. He remembered the first he had a real drink back when he was thirteen, wasn't that good at first but he quickly grew to like it. And he tasted more since and he had to say that this was one of the better ones.

Things were peaceful for a while, with Conn simply sitting and enjoying his drink while the others minded their own business with indistinct chatter coming from them. However, the atmosphere soon changed when four people entered the tavern. Unlike people of this village, they wore chainmail armor over which was blue cloth with a tiger symbol, black shirts and pants, and steel caps on their heads. Each of them was armed with a shortsword.

The four soldiers, at least that's what Conn assumed they were, seated themselves on one of the tables. He noticed the bartender say something hurriedly to the waitress that served him before and she quickly nodded and left. She came back with a tray in her hands, carrying four tankards. She quickly approached the table but careful not to spill anything.

"Here are your drinks, gentlemen," she said politely as she put their drinks on the table, in a slight hurry as Conn noticed.

One of them laughed. "See, I told you the service was good here," he said causing the other three to laugh as well. Just as she was about to leave the man grabbed her by the arm, stopping her in place. "Wait, just a minute. Stay with us for a little while."

"L-look, sir, I'm busy. I-I have other customers to attend to," she tried to find an excuse to get out.

The man just chuckled and forcefully pulled her on his lap, causing her to yelp. "Well attend to us a little more. We are quite weary from all of our service to lord Borlan and a pretty face like yours will definitely help."

Conn just frowned at what he was seeing. It looked like these were just typical soldiers abusing their position. And from what he is seeing, anyone else just tries to ignore the situation. Then Conn looked at the two men on the counter. The black-haired one reached for something under his cloak and Conn noticed a glimpse of steel beneath it before the other grabbed him by the shoulder and subtly shook his head.

"Crom and Mitra, bunch of cowards," Conn muttered under his breath before taking a large gulp and downing the rest of the drink before putting the tankard on the table.

He got and wordlessly walked up to the man who still held the girl in his lap despite her clear distaste for it. He grabbed the man by his hand and pulled them off her before grabbing the woman and moving her away from his lap.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" one of the rose up and pulled out his sword with the other two ready to do the same. The people in the tavern then looked at the scene in panic as trouble was definitely something they wanted to avoid, the woman hiding behind Conn.

The soldier who previously held the girl just stood up, seemingly not really bothered by what happened and put his hands up. "Alright, alright. Calm down, boys," he said causing the other three to stop. "Listen, this man obviously doesn't get the situation so I'll explain it to him." He then turned to Conn and only now noticed he had to look up to see his face but wasn't worried. "Do you know who we are?"

"Some grunts?"

That got a chuckle out of the soldier while the others glared. "We serve lord Borlan from castle Valiant, the ruler of the west Mansour region. The four of us are his fateful soldiers," he said in a polite tone that went on Conn's nerves. "So you see, the four of us are hard workers and our jobs can be very taxing, so we are merely taking our rightful rewards. Otherwise, we can become… very cranky." The last tone was said in a more threatening manner causing the others to smile amusingly at that. "So, my friend, why don't you just leave us be and-"

Conn's fist soon met the man's cheek, and he flew some distance from the table near the bar stand with a loud crash. Dead silence ruled the building as everyone watched in shock. Soon, one of the other three quickly ran to his downed comrade and rolled him so he could lay on his back. He gasped at seeing his expression, with eyes rolled back and mouth hanging open with some blood leaking.

"He's… he's dead!" the soldier proclaimed getting some shocked gasps, the loudest from the waitress who put her hands to her mouth.

Conn turned to the woman behind. "Move, now!" She didn't wait long to obey.

One of the soldiers took out his sword. "You son of a bitch, you're dead!" he yelled out before charging at Conn. Conn just grabbed the man by the hand before he could do anything major and twisted it in an unnatural way with a sickening crunch causing him to yell in pain before taking his sword and jamming the tip into his throat before roughly pulling it out, spilling a small stream of blood.

Another attacked soon after but Conn just swatted away his blade with the one he had from the dead soldier before making a swift horizontal slash at his neck, causing his head to fall on the floor soon after and the rest of his body following. The last one looked at his dead colleagues in horror, this man dispatching them in a blink of an eye. When his eyes met Conn's his blood ran cold in fear, causing him to run to the door, but Conn switched to a reverse grip before cocking his hand back and throwing the sword. It met its mark, piercing through chainmail, flesh, and bone easily, the last soldier now having a bloody blade sticking out of his torso. His arms shook, and he made a few more steps, actually making it outside the tavern before he collapsed on the wooden stairs, shocking several people that were outside.

Conn just stood there; looking more annoyed than anything else as everyone else looked at him in shock. Noticing their reactions he simply said "Sorry about the mess," before walking outside the tavern, nonchalantly passing by the corpse of the man outside.

The two men at the stand snap out of their shock before looking at each other, a quick discussion ensuing between them.

* * *

Conn quickly found himself out of the village's outskirts. After what he did he was sure that some people would be grateful but he was sure many would see him like he was just killing some soldiers and would no doubt end up reporting to their superiors what happened. And he honestly didn't want to deal with that right now.

However, that also meant that he would be once again spending the night outside. He groaned in frustration, with those soldiers ruining a good chance he had. Perhaps he could find another settlement before sundown but he honestly doubted it.

As he walked, he heard some fast footsteps approaching him and turned to see the two from the bar running towards him. His hand found itself on the sword handle and the cloaked one stopped some distance in front of him and put his hands up.

"Whoa, there is no need for that. I assure you, we are friends," he said.

"Friends? This is the first time we spoke, how are we friends?"

"Um, well, you see… what I meant was… eh."

The brown-haired one then chimed in. "What my eloquent _friend_ means to say is that we don't mean you any harm. We merely wish to speak to you. It's about what happened in that tavern."

"Were you two their friends or something?"

The cloaked one scoffed. "Yeah, right. Like we'd be friends with scum like that."

"Trust me, we aren't affiliated with them. Quite the opposite in fact. We are part of a secret resistance group that plans on making sure to stop the injustice brought to us by the lord of this land."

"A secret resistance group?" Conn asked with a raised eyebrow. "Then why tell me about it?"

"Simple, we want you to join us!" the cloaked one said. Then he thought of something. "Then again, we should probably first introduce ourselves before you do. I'm Martin and my friend here is called Baltor."

"I see, and what exactly has this lord done? Surely just a couple of soldiers acting out of line isn't all there is."

"Normally, that would be the case," Baltor began. "But it's not just that, lord Borlan is a horrible ruler. He only thinks of lining his own pockets with money while anyone not of noble status struggles to live."

"Please, at least come with us and hear us out," Martin said. "Our hideout isn't far, only an hour or two of walking. We'll tell you everything there."

Conn pondered for a moment on what to do. He considered refusing the call but that was only a small part of him. The rest thought that this was the opportunity he was waiting for, a big call to action, something that would prove his real worth. Besides, wasn't his father also a part of a resistance to overthrow a tyrant? He definitely wasn't going to let this slip through his fingers. But there was still one thing lingering on his mind.

"But why would you want me to join? Surely not because just for killing a couple of grunts."

"No, but the reason for it," Martin said. "You saw how they acted, and you responded to that. Not only are you good, but you also have the right character."

"And why didn't you stop them?"

Baltor answered before Martin could. "We aren't armed, and a single dagger wouldn't have helped us too much," he said while looking at Martin who just scratched the back of his head. "We would most likely have ended up dead or gotten injured. The authorities would have us quickly either way. You, on the other hand, possess exceptional strength and skill. We need someone like you with us. So, what do you say?"

His answer was quick. "Very well, you two. I'll join this resistance of yours," Conn said with a smile.

"Sweet, I knew you were the right kind of guy!" Martin exclaimed causing Conn to chuckle at his attitude.

Baltor also cracked a smile. "That's good to hear. Now come along, we'll lead you to the hideout."

The trio then began walking away soon after.

"Oh, we forgot," Martin spoke. "We didn't get your name."

"Conn."

* * *

The three of them walked off the road towards a more dense part of the forest. The afternoon sun still blazed as they walked for over an hour, barely any words were exchanged during the journey. Conn still wondered where they headed exactly since the way they were walking seemed to just keep going on.

"How much farther?" Conn asked, hiding the impatience in his voice.

"Not too long, it should be right around the corner," Baltor said as they stepped over a fallen log.

A minute has passed and they soon found themselves in a clearer part of the forest, and within was a small mountain.

"Come, we're going upwards," Martin said as he took a small path leading up the mountain with the two following.

After being at least halfway up, Conn noticed a cave entrance to which his two guides quickly turned to.

Martin lit up a torch and they entered, and they two then made a turn to the left where another path was leading. Conn was able to notice some illumination at which he presumed was the end. They entered a wider part of the cave, which was lit with several lamps. About a dozen people stood there, some sitting by the square table with others walking around impatiently. Conn noticed there was a weapons stash at the side which consisted of mostly swords, some axes, and a single mace. He also saw some armor stash but the quality is more lax.

"Are these all the insurgents you have?" Conn asked.

"Oh no, they are just a few we have," Baltor said. "We have meetings and then they report to others what we discussed. We don't meet in big numbers."

"Where did you get them?"

"Unhappy workers, rebellious soldiers, anyone who agrees with us and can fight," Martin explained.

One of them noticed the three walk inside. "Hey, where have you been, you two? We're supposed to meet some time ago."

Another looked at Conn. "A new recruit?"

Martin smiled and tapped Conn on the shoulder. "Indeed. And quite a capable one."

"A tall one, as well," another jested with a small chuckle before seeing the longsword. "At least we won't have to arm him."

All gathered in the middle around the table.

"If I may ask, who is in charge here?" Conn said as he looked among them.

"That would be me," another voice said, but this one came near the entrance.

Conn turned to look at the newcomer and was a bit surprised by what he saw. The man was dark-skinned, a similar skin tone people of Kush had from what Conn could see, and bald. He was dressed in a black buttoned coat with long sleeves, black pants, and shoes, a sheathed rapier strapped on his hip. The man looked like royalty compared to everyone else.

He walked up to the table, hands behind back, his expression neutral, a seeming embodiment of calm demeanor.

"I suppose I should introduce myself," he said in a calm voice. "My name is Ba-ku, and I'm the mage assigned to lord Borlan of castle Valiant."

Conn's eyebrows rose in curiosity. From what he read the people in power did have mages that served them so seeing Borlan's own mage leading this resistance was somewhat shocking.

Baltor then whispered in Conn's ear. "Don't worry, you can trust him. He's more than proved his loyalty." Conn gave him a nod.

"I'm Conn, from Aquilonia," Conn introduced himself which made some of the people here look in confusion.

"I guessed, your blade is aquilonian-made," Ba-ku said as he examined the longsword.

"You recognize the design? Are you also from the Hyborian continent?" Conn asked.

Ba-ku smiled. "I am indeed. I'm a Kushite, I have been transferred to the continent of Atlatan years ago where I enrolled in the Mage Academy and I've been assigned to this region's lord sometime now."

Conn gave a nod, his guess about this man being right after all. "And what made you rebel against your lord?"

"Common sense, my Aquilonian friend," Ba-ku simply answered. "You see, lord Borlan is quite an incapable leader. His lands suffer from poverty and his own education on this matter is almost non-existent. His demands cost a good amount of coin, and he often ignores my advice in any matter. His incompetence is sure to lead this land to ruin."

"He speaks the truth," one of the men here said. "My own people were hit heavily. Half of us don't even have homes anymore."

"From what I hear about this man I'm surprised this region hasn't collapsed," Conn said.

"Normally, it would have," Ba-ku continued. "However, lord Borlan has a friend, a lord of the neighboring region named Harton. Unlike Borlan, he is quite a capable leader but he overlooks his friend's faults and even helps him by lending him money. That has delayed any major crisis which means that lord Bolran can continue his habits without any major repercussions."

"And the only way to bring stability back to this land is to overthrow him?" Conn asked.

"I'm afraid so," Ba-ku answered.

"I see. And what is your plan exactly?"

Martin scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, well, there is still one factor missing."

"We lack someone to take the position of a lord," Baltor said.

"You see, someone needs to take the position of a lord, and it's even possible by conquering the castle, but without an official lord making a move against him wouldn't be a smart idea since there is nobody to take the position," Ba-ku explained.

After they said that, Conn couldn't help but having a grin appearing on his face. "Well then, gentlemen you're in luck," he said before putting his hand up, his red glowing crest appearing over his forearm, getting a lot of gasps from everyone. "You got yourself a lord."

Martin grabbed Baltor's shoulder and grinned. "Dude, we really got lucky this time," he said in a husher but excited tone.

The others then began talking between themselves with surprised or excited voices. Even Ba-ku's calm expression became one of shock.

"You're a lord? But who gave you the title?" Ba-ku asked as he stared at the crest.

"Nobody. I achieved it after killing some of those demonic creatures," Conn explained.

"You've achieved it by killing the creatures of chaos?" Ba-ku then put his fingers on his chin. "That is… quite unusual to say the least though theoretically possible. If someone could physically dominate the presence of chaos-"

"What does it matter now?" Martin said. "We have a lord, we can finally topple that tyrant."

"Yeah, but does Conn have the skills to actually rule this land properly?" Baltor asked.

Conn turned to him with a grin. "Trust me, I have studied many subjects related to ruling the class," he said. And of course that he had, he was preparing to take the throne of Aquilonia after all.

"Still, even if you didn't, my advice would have helped you," Ba-ku said. "Provided you would listen, of course."

"I will," Conn assured. "So I take it you will aid us when the time comes?"

"Unfortunately, no," Ba-ku said making Conn raise an eyebrow. "You see, I wouldn't have the best reputation if it spread that I betrayed my lord. The mage academy would disown me, and people would hesitate to trust, regardless if I betrayed a man like Bolran."

"So you will only act like you were fighting back but we would be able to take you out."

Ba-ku smiled at Conn's perceptiveness. "Precisely. I would just be defeated in the battle and would answer to a new lord that has taken over."

Conn gave a laugh. "A smart man."

"Alright, if we all got what we need, then we need to hash out a plant," Baltor said.

* * *

After several days the plan was set into motion. The castle Valiant was a grand one, built next to a waterfall that flowed into a mighty river. Rectangular in shape, built of solid rock, mighty walls with four towers surrounding it. The main stone building inside these walls was made of pure white marble, also rectangular in shape, a banner with a symbol of a tiger resting above the main entrance.

Many people were now located within the caste, most of a noble status. The reason for such a gathering is that lord Borlan had made a celebration in honor of his daughter Ilya, and her soon-to-be husband Eric, son of his good friend Harton. A marriage between their two children would strengthen the bonds between families and make Borlan's position as lord even more secure with Harton's help.

And that day was the perfect time for a rebellion to occur. The lord Borlan would be in the open and the insurgents will sneak inside to attack the count, forcing him to give up his crest or kill him. Conn and many other rebels walked through a secret passageway that led to the castle's cellar, an emergency escape route that was used to escape the castle in case of an attack, though thanks to Ba-ku it would be used for infiltration.

The tunnel was long, leading underground with an exit leading to a hole near the forest, covered by bushes. Conn and the others walked for several minutes, a small torch lighting the way before they stopped in front of some wooden boards that were located in front of them. Conn handed the torch to the man next to him before crouching and pushing the boards, revealing a secret passageway.

He entered the cellar and the rest soon followed, finding themselves surrounded by barrels of alcohol and many bottle shelves.

"Alright, now we should hurry to the main balcony. Come on!"

* * *

Martin and Baltor were currently driving carriages loaded with barrels in one of the yards. Those barrels originally held food that was supposed to be delivered on the orders of lord Harton, but the rebels ambushed them on the road, with Martin and Baltor taking the part of carriage drivers while some of the other rebels hid inside the barrels.

The carriages were also guarded but the guards were killed in the ambush, providing the rebels with some more weapons and armor. Some of their men now served disguised as guards and followed them.

While driving, they were also able to hear the proclamations made by Borlan himself.

"And so, it is with the deepest happiness that I announce the marriage between my daughter Ilya and the son of lord Harton, Eric! Such a shame that my dear friend Harton himself couldn't attend this celebration but he prioritizes his battle with king Solon Dalaras, the old war dog." That was followed by laugher from the lord.

Martin just glared. "Laugh it up while you can, you old piece of filth. Your time here is soon finished."

Baltor looked around. "Alright. We should be out of sight here."

Martin nodded and the two of them stopped the carriages. They quickly hopped off the seats and with the aid of their disguised allies got the barrels off the carriage and the men that were hidden quickly getting out before armoring and arming themselves.

"The back entrance should be around the corner," Baltor said. "Come on, move!"

* * *

The upper balcony of the main building was neatly decorated, many flower plants surrounded it several statues depicting beautiful women in togas and the biggest statue at the edge of the balcony represented an angel with a sword. There was a table with neatly prepare food and served drinks in glasses. Several of the most prestigious gentlemen and ladies were seated and enjoying themselves with Borlan, a plump man with a mustache dressed in a fancy coat, sitting at the head and smiling, Ba-ku standing at his side.

The two lovebirds stood at the edge of the balcony near the angel statue, basking in the attention they gained from the people on the lower balcony.

Eric was a young man with long brown hair and green eyes, he wore a brown short-sleeved shirt with a few buttons open, all to show his muscular build, a dark cape on his back, a golden circlet atop his head, dark-green pants, and black shoes, a sword strapped to his side.

Ilya was a beautiful woman with long, wavy black hair and blue eyes, dressed in a long purple dress that showed her back, a good amount of her cleavage and was cut to show off her right leg, golden and jeweled armlets adorned her arms, a ruby necklace around her neck and a crystal tiara adorned her head.

"This is a joyous moment, my love," Eric said as he looked down and waved at the people below.

"Indeed it is. Oh, thinking about what to come got me excited," Ilya said.

Eric then wrapped his arm around her waist. "Why don't leave some excitement for me later? Trust me, you won't regret it," he whispered in her ear, causing her to giggle.

"Oh, you insatiable-"

A sudden scream got their attention and they quickly turned around to see what was going on. To their shock, they saw two guards at the entrance dead on the ground with their blood leaking on the floor, a huge, dark-haired man in a cloak with a longsword standing above them.

The nobles at the table and looked scared at what they saw, even lord Borlan.

Conn smirked as he looked at the two dead guards who he easily dispatched when he walked outside. The rest of the rebels were busy fending off soldiers within the castle. The ones that Martin and Baltor sneaked into were busy with the guards on the lower levels.

Conn then looked at his target, the cowering fat lord, who stood up and began backing away. Ba-ku taking out his rapier and looking ready for battle.

"Hurry, Ba-ku!" pleaded Borlan. "I'm your lord and I order you to dispose of this savage!"

"As you command," Ba-ku said before running at Conn who just smirked at the man's good acting.

Their blades met and Conn quickly went on the offensive with Ba-ku expertly blocking his strikes and making small counters. Conn then forced him to walk back as he defended but then Ba-ku quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out his magic wand before pointing it at Conn who just smirked as he flicked the blade and swatting away the wand from Ba-ku's hand.

Ba-ku then pretended to be shocked at what occurred. "No!" he made a small exclamation. Conn then grabbed him by the sword arm and slammed the pommel of his sword into his head. Ba-ku fell on the floor unconscious with his head slightly bleeding.

Everyone began scattering but Borlan walked back in fear at his mage being dealt with. Eric stood in protectively in front of Ilya. Conn then began approaching them, grabbing the table and throwing it to the side to clear the way, its contents spilling on the floor.

"Time for you to give me your crest, little lord," Conn said with a smirk.

Eric glared at him before pulling out his sword. "You were a fool to come here. Now you'll see how a nobleman fights!" he proclaimed before attacking Conn.

Conn just stood there and let him come. Eric went for a thrust but Conn moved faster than he could react and with a quick swipe took the man's hand off. Eric looked shocked at his now bleeding stump but didn't get to think much else before Conn decapitated him.

Borlan looked even more frightened while Ilya screamed in shock at her lover's sudden murder.

"Now, about your crest," Conn began

"Conn, we have a problem!" Conn turned to look at Martin running towards him. "The reinforcements came sooner than expected! We were forced to retreat and they'll be arriving here at any moment!"

Conn then looked down to see the rest of the rebels entering the balcony. "No, they won't. Make sure those two don't run away, I have a plan."

He walked to the angel statue and peeked behind to see that some enemy soldiers began arriving. He then quickly pressed his hands against the statue and began pushing. He gave a groan and his muscles tensed, but the base of the statue began to give away and it fell over the balcony right on top some of them while also sealing the entrance. That bought them some time.

Conn then turned back to Bolran who stood there scared with his daughter behind him, Martin pointing a sword threateningly at them to make sure they don't run. Conn walked over to Bolran and picked him up by the throat. The man tried to struggle but Conn just walked over to the edge of the balcony held the lord over it.

"Please, I'll give you anything you want, just let me go," Borlan said desperately

"You will give me your crest," Conn demanded and put his forearm where his crest appeared.

"Of course, of course." The lord then made his own crest appear. "I, Borlan Marrow, offer my crest to you."

"I, Conn, accept your crest as my own," Conn said as his crest began glowing while Borlan's disappeared. Once the glowing stopped Conn's crest increased in size and gained a more elaborate design.

"There, you have it. Now let me leave," Borlan pleaded.

Conn only had a single response. He tightened the grip around his throat until a loud snap was heard and the former lord's hands fell limply down his sides as he completely stopped moving. Conn then opened his palm and let the corpse fall down in front of the soldiers who were able to move parts of the statue out of the way.

Conn then looked back to see a scared Ilya and Martin who looked confused. "But… didn't you tell him that-?" he began but Conn interrupted.

"I only told him to give me his crest, I never I would let him live," Conn explained. "Besides, what you would have me do? Just let him go?"

Martin thought about it for a moment before his expression turned darker. "No, I wouldn't want that."

Conn gave him a nod. "Now take her inside. I think she saw enough," he said and Martin obliged. Conn then walked towards the other gathered rebels who looked in anticipation. Conn put his hand up and let his new crest appear in all its glory. "We have victory!"

Cheers erupted from them as they put their own weapons up.

* * *

**AN: And that is it for this chapter. Conn took part in a resistance movement, killed a lord and took his place. If you want for Conn and Theo to meet again, they might in the next chapter. Just be patient.**

**I hope you enjoyed. See you next time!**


	4. 4 The Reunion

The Prince's War

**AN: Hello there, my dear readers. Well, this came out earlier than expected but inspiration for this story really hit me. So I hope you end up enjoying it.**

**Now to reviews.**

**Evowizard25: I hope you end up enjoying what comes next.**

**DedeTC: It's great to hear that I got your attention. As for how things will turn out, you'll have to see in this chapter. I'm sure you'll end up surprised.**

* * *

4 The Reunion

Conn was currently sitting in an office that formerly belonged to lord Borlan who he had recently slain. The room was quite spacious, had a fine wooden desk and chair with a big window to the outside, and scarlet curtains. An oval table in the middle, a bookshelf to the side, decorations such as suits of armor, wall-mounted swords, several lavish paintings of Borlan spread around.

Currently, Conn, bow dressed in a blue tunic and short pants, brown belt, and sandals, was looking over some papers which consisted mostly of contracts, official letters and such. And he wasn't that impressed.

"I swear by Crom, these were written by an amateur," he muttered as he inspected the documentation. "And these taxes are absolutely ridiculous. Nobody in their right mind would put them so high."

"Indeed, lord Conn. Luckily you are here to fix that problem," said Ba-ku who was standing next to Conn since he entered the room. His bald head was currently bandaged due to the blow he received from his new lord just yesterday. "And if I may ask, did you really need to actually knock me out. I could have also pretended for that part."

Conn only chuckled at the man's expense. "Well you probably could have, but I thought we should be as convincing as possible. Just to be sure."

"Why… of course," Ba-ku said though it was obvious he disagreed.

Then the door of the office opened and Ilya walked in. And much to Ba-ku's surprise, she didn't look like he imagined she would. Instead of being angry, frustrated, scared or anything like that she looked… happy. Ba-ku had to raise an eyebrow at that, especially with how calmly she was approaching the desk.

Ilya, now only dressed in a simple white robe which from what Ba-ku could tell had nothing else underneath it, walked around the desk and sat on the armrest of the chair before slowly and sensually wrapping her arms around Conn's neck, something which amused the young prince. "Oh, do you have to bother yourself with this now," she complained before slightly rubbing herself on Conn. "Come back to bed and sort these stupid papers later, please."

"Sorry, woman. But these things garner my attention and I'm not a lazy man like your father," he said before giving her a reassuring grin. "Trust me, you'll get all my attention later."

She whined for a moment before getting off the armrest. "Oh, very well then. Just make sure not to take too long. It can get so _lonely_ here." She then walked out of the room.

Ba-ku was staring at the door where she left, still not sure what to think about the event that just transpired here.

"I can guess what you're thinking," Conn said gaining back Ba-ku's attention. "You're probably wondering why she isn't screaming bloody murder or for my head to be put on a stake."

"The… thought crossed my mind, yes, lord Conn," Ba-ku said.

"Oh, trust me, Ba-ku, she didn't really care much about her father. I know her type, they are mostly satisfied with a handsome face, a skill in bed and if they have some luxuries. And I'm pretty sure I fit that category."

Ba-ku stared at Conn in shock. He honestly didn't expect her to be so… vain for the lack of a better word. He has been in this castle for some time now but he admitted that he didn't know much about Ilya.

"So you… slept with her?" Ba-ku asked. "And you don't mind how she is behaving?"

"I did. And why exactly are you worried, it's not like I'm planning on marrying her. If anything, she is just a concubine," Conn explained. "Which reminds me, I should really find that waitress girl from that village. I'm sure she'll appreciate being here."

Ba-ku honestly thought that he was never this shocked in his life. He just admitted about sleeping with a woman that he himself admitted about not having the most ideal character traits, and now he is just casually speaking about having concubines?

"Um, no offense, lord Conn," he began, his usual calmness cracking more than he'd like. "But I'm not sure this is a good course of action."

Conn looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I think that your reputation may suffer if you start having concubines. I'm sure that many people will frown upon it since that's not really a usual practice here. Lord Villar Constance of Altirk is known as being the lustful count on suspicion that he might be sleeping with his female servants."

Conn only looked at him even more confused than before. "I still fail to see the problem. I plan on bringing back stability to this land, through legal means at that. And you're saying that people will hate me just because I have more than one lover?"

"It's just that traditionally people here only marry a single a person," Ba-ku explained.

"I'm not marrying anyone," Conn simply refuted.

"Eh, it's… my lord, it's not that simple," Ba-ku tried to reason.

"Of course it's that simple," Conn said. "Me having multiple lovers doesn't affect anything about the state of this land. Look at Aquilonia, where King Conan has multiple wives and that doesn't include all the women in his harem and people love him. Even other lords such as count Trocero of Poitain have more than one lover and that's not a problem."

"But this isn't Aquilonia, my lord. As I said, certain people will be up-"

"Enough," Conn interrupted. "Look, this debate is absolutely pointless. I'm planning on making people have better lives and me making a harem isn't going to affect that. Getting upset over it only wastes time."

Ba-ku gave a sigh, knowing that trying to chance Conn's mind would be pointless. While it's true that it wouldn't affect how he ruled the country there are people who would frown upon for such habits. Well, as long as he keeps this country from falling apart Ba-ku was willing to overlook it.

"Now back on important things. What can I expect of lord Harton?"

Ba-ku regained his composure. "Ah, yes. Lord Harton will no doubt respond with military might after he hears of the murder of his friend. Negotiations will definitely be out of the picture considering what I know of him. We will have to mobilize our armies to be able to meet him on the battlefield once he gets back from his conquest against King Solon."

Lord Harton gained more than a few glances from other people when he began attacking King Solos despite the fact that both of them belonged to the Fantasia Union. He apparently planned on joining the Factory Alliance and decided to prove his loyalty by conquest and bringing Kilhis under his boot so the Factory Alliance could have more territory once he joined. Lord Borlan would have joined the Alliance as well, though the papers weren't officially signed.

"Very well, then. That's what we're going to do," Conn said before looking around the room. "But here's my first order of business. Go and get someone to take these cursed paintings out and burn them. They're an eyesore."

That command got an amusing smile from Ba-ku before he gave a bow. "It shall be done, my lord."

* * *

Theo had to admit that he honestly didn't expect things to go the way they did the last week. After he parted with Conn he stumbled upon a carriage that was carrying Siluca Meletes, who was about to be attacked by some thuggish soldiers. But he interfered and soon after he was tested by her before she became his contracted mage, despite originally being planned for lord Villar.

Soon after they overthrew some scummy lord and took his land. And soon after, he was attacked by another lord called Lassic David, which he ended up defeating after capturing his mage. Of course, he couldn't have done that if it wasn't for the help of Irvin and Aishela, two demon seal users. He should count himself lucky that Siluca had Irvin as a bodyguard and Aishela as a sister.

And right now he was sitting in his office, hands clasped together in front of his face, thinking over what would come next. After he conquered so much land, which he still thought unbelievable, Siluca warned him about the possible attack from Marinne Kreische after her proposition to rejoin the Alliance failed so that also had him worried.

He also wondered what happened to Conn. They haven't seen each other in over a week. Was he also able to gain a title of lord? Was he still searching? Did he die? Theo was honestly worried. Conn was the one who helped him go on a path of becoming a lord and liberate Sistina from the Rossini family.

"Is something troubling you, Lord Theo?" a soft feminine voice came from beside him and Theo's eyes met the form of Siluca. She was beautiful young woman, blonde hair tied to a side bun with a few bangs framing her face, and beautiful purple eyes. Her clothes consisted of a white vest with brown highlights, a mixed fabric shirt that exposed much of her naval area, a very short skirt with orange shorts, long white boots and even longer purple leggings, and she wore purple gloves, one reaching to her wrist and the other to her bicep.

"Oh, it's nothing Siluca. I'm just… concerned about a friend," he answered. "You see, I owe him much. He was a great help in me getting my crest. I wouldn't be here without him."

"I see," she said before putting her hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Lord Theo. I'm sure we'll find him if he's in trouble."

Theo gave her a smile. "Thanks, Siluca. That means a lot," he said before rising up. "Well, I'm going to get myself some fresh air. I hope you don't mind."

Siluca laughed for a bit. "You are the lord here, Theo. You don't need my permission."

"Sometimes I think I do," he jested before going outside through the side door.

Siluca stood there, smiling at his departure. She was more than happy to be a contracted mage to someone as kind as Theo.

Then she heard the double doors of the office opening and she saw that it was Irvin who entered.

Irvin was a dark-skinned man with black hair braided in a tail with several white front bangs that covered his left eye, the other shown to be red. He was dressed in a black suit and pants with a white shirt and gloves.

"Is something the matter, Irvin?" she asked.

"I think there is something you might find interesting."

* * *

_Three men, clothed in furs walked through the rocky hills of a long-gone part of the world, mightly built, wild and determined._

_A woman tied to the wooden stake, fire burning around her as a group of people watched and threw curses and obscenities in her direction. Her eyes looked at the youngest of the wild men, a pleading look in her eyes._

_The young man, black of hair and grey-eyed, took out his dagger and threw it directly in the young woman's heart, giving her a mercy kill._

_He then immediately ran away, chased by a mob angry people crying out for his blood._

_The young man was then rowing at a slave galley._

_Next, he was older and fighting as a gladiator, crushing an opposing man's skull with his axe._

_Next, even older, he was sitting on a throne, brooding, chin resting on his fist._

_The whole thing was then sprayed with blood, images of serpent heads, giant waves._

_Then there was deafening silence before voices began speaking._

_"__The army is like a sword and must not be allowed to rust."_

_"__Aye, shame to Valusia that a barbarian sits on the Throne of Kings."_

_"__A man with a head of a snake!"_

_"__By this axe I rule! That is my scepter... If you will not fight you shall obey!"_

_Many voices then began speaking and overlapping, an incoherent mess of sounds spread around. All the while, a booming laughter in the distance could be heard._

_And then it all stopped._

_"__Ka nama kaa lajerama."_

Conn's eyes then opened as he woke up. Giving a small groan he rubbed his eyes with his head to wear off the sleepiness that still lingered. He looked up and was met with what seemed like an orange sky before his mind pieced back all the pieces and he remembered that he was in his war tent.

He rose to a sitting position, the covers falling off of him to reveal his deeply muscled upper body before he stretched, popping a few joints. He looked the person sleeping beside him, a naked Ilya whose body was only covered by the blanket.

He was about to lay back and give her a few kisses on the neck but his actions were stopped.

"Lord Conn!" came a voice from behind the drapes that separated his bed from the rest of the tent. "Lord Harton is making a move!"

"Is he now?" Conn asked rhetorically before standing up and clothing himself. He had been fighting with that lord for several days now, and while they seemed on even terms from the start Conn was able to gain an advantage thanks to his study of military strategy from Aquilonia. "Send for the squire to get my armor ready! I'll be out shortly!"

"Yes, my lord!" the soldier said before Conn could hear his footsteps signifying he left.

A soft moan came from Ilya who rose up, used her blanket to cover herself and rubbing her eyes. "You have to go already?"

"Sorry, but I can't just lay here while my men fight. What kind of a lord would I be then?"

Conn was soon out of the tent, clothed in chainmail armor, steeled greaves and gauntlets. He would have taken a full plate but they couldn't find anything his size. His aquilonian longsword strapped to his hip.

He stood in front of his men who were positioned in a formation, several square rows with soldiers standing side by side. Conn was able to see Martin and Baltor among the ranks, both of them geared up and smiling.

"Men, ours will be the victory today! We've pushed back lord Harton and his forces back! The old fool is too proud to surrender so we may as well make his last fight a grand one! So let's ride to battle, and show them Hell!"

That was met with positive exclamations from his men.

Martin then turned to his friend. "Buddy, I think we made the right choice."

Baltor gave a nod. "We did, indeed."

* * *

Lord Harton atop of a cliff, mounted on his black stallion. He was a middle-aged man with graying hair and grey eyes, he was armored in a full set of black plate armor, a longsword at his waist.

He was currently looking over the battlefield where his men engaged the forces of the man who killed his friend. When Harton got a good look at him he was surprised with how young he was, but that honestly didn't matter at this point.

What did matter is the fact that he was losing, even he could see that. The man rose to high ground and activated his crest, a red symbol of a tiger appeared and his men had the same symbol appearing on their chest before letting out mighty roars and hurling themselves towards his troops. They seemed stronger, no fear, formations tighter than ever. His men seemed like lambs brought for slaughter, his own crest not giving them enough morale to stand against them.

"My lord," came a voice from behind him, revealing it to be his contracted mage, Salvator. He was a man with short black hair and blue eyes, dressed in a black robe with shoes of the same color and white gloves. "I think we should surrender. Our forces cannot hold them back for much longer. That crest seemed to turn them into savages, and our men are slowly being overwhelmed."

Harton could only sigh, knowing that his mage was right. Whatever the man's crest was doing seemed to have a similar effect to that of King Erik of Nord, and his men had no good answer for that now.

But there was one thing that Harton could still do. "I'm not surrendering, especially not to that usurper. Mark my words, by the end of this day one of us will die."

* * *

It was afternoon and the battle was disengaged for now. Conn was currently back in his tent consulting with Ba-ku on what to do next.

"After this battle, victory will come all too easy. A few more attacks and lord Harton and his forces will be slaughtered."

Ba-ku nodded. "Yes indeed. Lord Harton will fight until the very end, unfortunately."

"At least he will go down fighting."

A soldier then walked into the tent and put a fist on his chest in a salute. "My lord, Harton's contracted mage has come and requests an audience with you."

"Is he alone?" Ba-ku asked.

"Yes, he is."

Conn gave a nod. "Tell the mage I grant him an audience. I'd like to hear what he has to say."

The soldier gave a bow before going out. A minute later, Harton's mage entered the tent, a stone expression on his face.

"Salvator," Ba-ku said in a form of greeting.

"Ba-ku," Salvator replied back before turning to Conn and bowing. "I thank you for granting me an audience, lord Conn."

"Has lord Harton come to his senses and decided to surrender?" Ba-ku asked.

Salvator then rose. "Actually, my lord has a different proposition. He requests a formal duel between himself and lord Conn."

That caught both Ba-ku and Conn by surprise. "He wants a duel?" Conn asked.

"Yes, he does. He requests that you meet him one hour from now."

Ba-ku turned back to Conn. "My lord, the proposition is preposterous. This is obviously an act of a man who lost and there is no reason to risk your life like this."

Conn stood there for a moment, thinking about what was requested of him. The duel was the only way Harton could gain victory since if he defeats Conn he will be the winner of this conflict, but he obviously isn't aware of what Conn was capable of so he was taking a huge risk. The prince also saw the perspiration that began to gather on Salvator's forehead, obviously nervous about the answer.

"Very well, I accept. I'll meet with lord Harton in an hour. Tell him to come over and we will have a duel," Conn said shocking Ba-ku.

Salvator, looking relieved at the answer gave a smile. "I thank you, lord Conn. We will meet you soon." He then left the tent.

Ba-ku looked at Conn bewildered. "Why did you accept the duel? You can easily win against him on the battlefield but now you put everything you fought for in danger just to grant him a chance of victory?"

"Calm yourself, Ba-ku," Conn said. "If you think I'm giving him a chance, I'm not. I'm only doing this for my own amusement. I didn't have a proper one-on-one fight in a while and I hope this man can deliver."

"I hardly think threatening your life and position over probable amusement is a good action," Ba-ku argued.

"You underestimate my skills. Don't think that just because you needed to pretend to lose that I'm not skilled."

The time has come for the duel, and the two competitors stood across each other. His men surrounded them as spectators, forming a large circle around them.

"Ready when you are, lord Harton," Conn said with a smirk before taking out his sword.

Lord Harton, now sporting a basinet on his head, replied. "I'm ready, boy." He then put down his visor and took out his own longsword.

The two of them then took their stances, blade on shoulder, slight crouch, eyes firmly held on each other. They circled around for a moment, seizing each other and looking for a single misstep.

Then Conn decided to engage, attacking with a diagonal cut which was quickly blocked and countered, causing Conn to move his sword for a block as well. Once again becoming the aggressor, Conn made several more quick but strong series of slashes and swipes, forcing Harton to move back and block attacks that went for the weak spots in his armor.

They soon disengaged, putting some distance between them. Lord Harton actually began panting, Conn's attacks required quite an effort to block and avoid, not to mention the skills in which they were executed.

Ba-ku and Salvator stood side-by-side, watching their two lords duel. Ba-ku, while not showing it, was definitely confident, while Salvator had a nervous sweat dripping down his brow. His lord was clearly at a disadvantage, with Conn not only having youth and vigor on his side but obviously great skill.

Harton was the one to initiate the offensive next. He made a thrusting motion which was caught, Harton trying to swipe his opponent's blade but failing as Conn saw through him before retracting his sword and attacking. After several attacks, Harton went for a counterthrust but Conn let one of his hands hold the sword as he guided the thrust aside before using his free hand to deliver a nasty punch to Harton's helmet, making the visor fly off the helmet and Harton to walk back with a heavy grunt.

Salvator took a gulp while Ba-ku had a ghost of a smile appear on his face.

Harton was now panting heavily, visibly glaring at his opponent who didn't seem to be affected at all. The aged lord grunted before once again attacking, but Conn blocked before quickly moving the tip of the blade near Harton's hands before spinning the sword around and flicking it off Harton's hands, surprising him.

Conn then quickly grabbed the thrown blade into his left hand before delivering a hard thrust, piercing through Harton's skull and the back of his helmet. Harton stood motionless, a shocked expression frozen on his bloody face before dropping on the ground dead.

Conn's men erupted in cheers at their leader's victory as Martin walked up to him and put an arm around his shoulder. "Man, you really have a knack for killing people with their own sword."

Conn then walked up to Salvator who looked horrified at his lord's death. "So, what will you do now?" Conn asked.

Salvator gained a defiant look on his face before reaching into his robe, Conn ready for anything he was planning. "The one thing I won't be doing," he said before taking out a small vial and uncapping it. "Is serving a usurper." He then quickly downed the vial's contents before dropping it. A choking sound came from him before some blood dripped down the side of his mouth. Salvator's eyes closed and he dropped on the grass, dead as his master.

Ba-ku looked at the dead mage and simply shook his head with a sigh. He saw Conn looking at him confused before taking out a similar vial before explaining. "A suicide potion. Each contracted mage is given one in case the situation gets dire. Most of them were used to get out of service to lords they find unworthy."

"And he didn't think I was worthy?" Conn asked as he looked at Salvator's corpse.

"He held great respect for his lord, and more than likely just saw you as a usurper who sought after power, and he didn't want to serve someone like that," Ba-ku explained. While Salvator could run away that would be an insult to the mage academy and his reputation would have been ruined, which is why Ba-ku invented the scenario that he did so he would have a clean record. "Shame he didn't stick around to find out the truth."

"Doesn't matter now. We won and Harton's territory now belongs to me. Its stability should help me balance the state of my lands."

Then one man came to Ba-ku and gave him a scroll. Ba-ku unsealed it and read it.

"Lord Conn, remember when you asked me to look out for a man named Theo, someone who also became a lord in a similar way you did?" Ba-ku was honestly impressed when he heard that there was yet another person who gained a crest after killing demons. Receiving Conn's nod, he continued. "Well, it would appear there is indeed a wandering lord named Theo Cornaro, who just recently defeated King Lassic David of Clovis and went over to the Fantasia Union. I think he is the one matching your description."

Conn grinned. "Then I here's what I want you to do."

* * *

Theo was currently being escorted by some of his soldiers near the country borders of Sievis and Mansour. And with him were Siluca, Irvin, Aishela, Lassic and Lassic's contracted mage, Moreno.

Aishela was a tall and beautiful woman with an athletic build and voluptuous figure, purple hair reaching her waist, red eyes and dark red tattoos on her left eye and shoulder. She wore a black tube top over her chest, black shorts, and stockings with metal boots and long black sleeves on her arms. For equipment, she wore some chest armor, a Valkyrie-like helmet and a long spear on her shoulder.

Lassic David was a tall well-built man with blonde hair and brown eyes. He was dressed in a set of black armor with some golden highlights, no helmet and fingerless gloves instead of gauntlets, and a purple royal cape, a sword sheathed at his hip.

Moreno was a slim man with brown hair and blue eyes. He was dressed in a green suit with a single button, a white shirt, black pants, and white knee-high boots. He also had a sheathed rapier at his hip.

They would have taken more people like Gluck or Petr but since this was an official meeting then bringing more special soldiers would be too much and probably considered an offense.

Theo's mind went back to when they received an invitation in the form of a formal letter, which had a tiger-shaped seal on it. When Siluca saw it her eyes narrowed as if she was expecting some sort of threat. When Theo opened it, the letter said:

_Honorable lord Theo Cornaro,_

_My lord has requested your presence at his abode, castle Valiant in Mansour. He was very much curious about your accomplishments, of a wandering lord rising so high through the ranks and would very much like to speak with you, as someone who has done a similar thing. We would like to have this meeting also be a possible alliance between our own lands. He will welcome you with a formal feast and entertainment, and you may bring any guest you wish, though we hope you don't bring too many since we are still sorting out some economic issues and we wouldn't want to spent too much money. We hope to hear from you soon._

_High greetings from my lord._

_Signed: Ba-ku, contracted mage of castle Valiant._

Siluca was suspicious of this, thinking that the lord could only be using this because they knew that Marrine Kreische could set their sights on them and would make an alliance that will give them help from castle Valiant in case of an attack while the alliance would also require that they help stabilize the 'economic problems' they had.

When Theo asked about a possible betrayal Siluca said that it wouldn't be a smart move and would only make them a target, especially after killing a fellow Union lord. While they could ask for to join the Factory Alliance the trickery involved would make Marrine hesitate to do so which would make castle Valiant sitting ducks for attacks from other Union lords.

Assured, Theo sent a reply, agreeing to meet with the lord of castle Valiant at the least and see how things turn out.

And right now, they were traveling on the road towards castle Valiant in a carriage driven by Irvin and Aishela riding a horse, Theo's mind circling about what the outcome of this meeting will be and hoping that it doesn't turn our negative.

"Ok, I gotta ask," said Lassic after a while of the only noise being the rustling of carriage wheels on a rocky road and slight shakes. "What exactly would lord Borlan want to talk with Theo about? He didn't seem like a man who would go for something like that."

"Lord Borlan isn't the one in control anymore," Siluca said making the three men look at her. "He was killed not too long ago and a new lord is currently on his seat of power."

Lassic was surprised to hear it. "That's news to me."

"Irvin reported it to me a few days after the event happened. Sorry for not informing you about it," Siluca said before turning to Theo. "And I'm afraid I might have some… unsettling news regarding the new lord."

Theo raised an eyebrow at that. "And just what is so unsettling about it?"

"You see, the way he got his lordship goes like this: Lord Borlan was planning on a wedding between his daughter and lord Harton's son, where a rebellion broke out against Borlan. The new lord killed lord Harton's son and forced Borlan to give him the crest, before killing him as well."

"He killed him after getting the crest?" Moreno asked confused. "Why would he do that? Wouldn't his crest immediately go to him after he was killed? Why wait until after he was given the crest?"

"I'm not sure," Siluca answered. "Could be because he wanted to make an example of how firm his rule was, or maybe he did it out of his own amusement. Still, another thing that happened is that he seemingly took Borlan's daughter right into his chambers after the deed was done."

That actually had them look at her in shock.

"Well, I have to admit. That is a bit unsettling," Lassic said with narrowed eyes and crossed arms. "I'm starting to think that this was a bad idea."

"Why didn't you inform us about it earlier?" Moreno demanded.

"I… hesitated to tell you. This is still a peaceful meeting and the new lord shouldn't be stupid enough to lure us into a trap."

Theo then put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, Siluca," he said with a smile. "It's nothing bad. We'll see this through and if we don't like it, we'll leave."

Siluca gave a sigh, she hoped that it would be as easy as that.

Then she noticed something through the slightly draped window of the carriage. Two people on horses passed by them, one of them wore a roaring tiger head, the symbol of castle Valiant while the other while the other was a young woman who looked somewhat nervous.

Siluca then put her head out and called out. "Irvin, could you stop here for a minute?"

Irvin looked at her curiously before nodding and pulling the reins on the horses which stopped the carriage.

"What are you doing?" Theo asked.

"I just need to check on something," Siluca said before walking out of the carriage and stepping next to the approaching duo. "Excuse me, could you stop for a moment?"

The rider looked at her before stopping. "What is it? I'm on official duty for my lord."

"I am Siluca Meletes, contracted mage to Sir Theo Cornaro," she introduced herself with Theo also getting out of the carriage to see what's going on.

The rider looked at her for a moment and then to Theo before his eyes widened in realization. "Oh, so you're the people that my lord invited to his castle. My name is Baltor, a sergeant recently promoted in Valiant's military and it's an honor to meet you."

Siluca then cast a look to the woman riding the other horse, who seemed still seemed a bit nervous. "And who is she?"

Baltor cast a look behind him before mentally scolding himself for forgetting. "Oh, right. She is Valeria, and my lord asked for her specifically to be escorted to him."

Siluca's eyes narrowed slightly before she turned to Valeria. "And why would your lord ask for such a thing?"

Valeria blushed before looking at the ground. "Well, I… When we met in the tavern I worked at… I suppose he found me appealing and wants me in his castle," she said as her cheeks were adorned with the color red.

"Oh, that reminds me," Baltor began. "We should get you ready before the upcoming feast." He then once again turned to Siluca. "I'm sorry, but we don't want to waste any more time. It was an honor meeting, you Lady Siluca, Sir Theo. We'll see you at castle Valiant."

And with a slight hit on the reins, he resumed his travel but faster this time.

Siluca was somewhat surprised at the words spoken and looked at the retreating forms of those two. She then returned back to the carriage and sat next to Theo.

"You don't have to say anything, we heard every word," Lassic said, his arms still crossed. "So not only did he take the daughter he also takes local women into his castle? I didn't even meet him yet he's already getting on my nerves."

"Well, the situation is… questionable," Moreno said.

"I think I agree with the word unsettling a bit more than questionable," Lassic said.

"We should probably get this over and done with as soon as possible," Siluca said in a not too pleased voice. This man was already beginning to remind her of the lustful count Villar.

Theo wasn't sure what to think about the situation and hoped that things went smoothly. Though, he was definitely more nervous about meeting this lord now.

The rest of the trip went smoothly as the group found themselves escorted to the main chamber of the castle, passing many servants and several soldiers.

While they walked through the halls, Aishela whispered in Siluca's ear. "Don't worry, if this lord so much as looks at you wrong I'll cut his head off."

"Please, control yourself, Aishela," Siluca said somewhat annoyed at her adoptive sister's protectiveness.

Once they reached the double doors the two guards opened them and revealed a big square table, prepare with pure white table cloth, plates and cutlery, and candles.

The person sitting on the throne rose up and approached them, with a man Siluca and Moreno recognized as Ba-ku following him.

When Theo saw who the man was his eyes went wide and his mouth stood agape. "C-Conn. Is that you?"

Conn gave him a wide smile before approaching him with open arms. "Well, well, look who we have here!" he exclaimed before tapping Theo on the shoulder which made the green-haired man wince. "Look at you. A lord in your own right. And quite an accomplished one at that. I can safely say you've made your mark, Theo."

"So, you're the lord of this castle?" Theo asked still surprised at what he was seeing.

"Indeed I am," Conn said before wrapping an arm around Theo's shoulder. "But enough about that. We'll have plenty of time to talk during the feast. So find yourselves some seats and food will be served shortly.

"Um… alright," Theo said somewhat awkwardly.

While that conversation was going on, Theo's group stood there looking at the two completely bewildered.

* * *

**AN: And that is all for now. We have our two heroes meet again. And it turns out that Conn's habits did get some concern from others but we'll see how it goes from here.**

**And I hope that you go and check out my other stories and leave a review.**

**See you next time!**


	5. 5 Alliances

The Prince's War

**AN: Hello, my dear readers. Man, I'm on a roll with these chapters. Well, here's another installment of The Prince's War. Hope you enjoy it!**

**Now to reviews.**

**Dracus6: Glad you enjoy it.**

**Evowizard25: That is very true, but you have to see how Conn thinks. Right now he is trying to be like his father, so having multiple women for him is a must, and if you know anything about Conan it is that he doesn't always follow tradition and usually doesn't give a damn about how some stuck-up nobles think the world works so Conn having similar beliefs would show.**

**And you'll see how that will go right here in this chapter.**

**Caspian123: Yeah, very true. And you'll have to wait and see.**

* * *

5 Alliances

A bright light illuminated the dark, first forming a straight vertical line. Then the light spread before turning into a shining rectangle, a soft creak could be heard echoing. Then a tall shadow stood in front of the light before walking forward. The light then receded back into a line before disappearing completely with a metal clicking noise.

The dark completely returned.

Then a sound of a clap was heard. Soon, several candlesticks lit up, all lined in a row and lighting the bricked room. In front of the wooden door stood a purple-robed figure whose hood completely obscuring his facial features. He unclasped his hands and began walking along the path made by the candlesticks. No sound came from his footsteps, the man almost seeming to float instead of walk.

He then stopped in front of an object located in the middle of the room, an ornately decorated mirror.

The man then put his hand in front of the mirror, and the man's reflection was replaced with some red mist. The mist stayed for several moments before beginning to dissipate, revealing another man sitting on a throne.

The man had a darker skin tone and back eyes, dressed in a green robe and a grey headgear that had long silver ram horns.

"Ah, I haven't heard from you in a long time, old friend," the man in the mirror said with a smile and a kind tone that beneath it held a hint of mischievousness. "What is the news from Atlatan?"

The man in the purple robe gave a slight snarl. "We aren't friends, Stygian. This alliance is only for our mutual benefit."

"Why shouldn't we be? As the two of the most powerful sorcerers in the world I'm certain that we could get along," the horned man said.

It was then that the hooded one let out a laugh. "You are hardly a sorcerer," he said before pointing at the ring on the other's finger. "Without the Black Ring of Set, you are as magical as a simple beggar. Don't think so highly of yourself, Thoth Amon. You still need to grasp the true meaning of sorcery if you rely on an object to give you power." While not visible, a frustrated look could be practically felt on the man's face as his head turned to the side. "The same can be said for the so-called 'wizards' of this accursed continent."

Thoth Amon's face twisted into a frown, his ringed hand slightly clenching in frustration. "Do you have a problem with my methods? I honestly doubt you contacted me just to chastise me."

The man's head turned back. "As much as it would be fun, no, I didn't. I actually discovered something interesting," he said as he crossed his arms. "One of my spies from Mansour contacted me; he told me that a new lord has emerged and quickly took over most of the country. He is apparently an Aquilonian that goes by the name of Conn." The moment the name left his lips, Thoth Amon's eyes widened in surprise. "Yes, it would appear that the son of your nemesis is here in Atlatan."

Thoth Amon's fingers found themselves on his chin. "So that's where the boy had gone," he said. "I heard that prince Conn has disappeared from Aquilonia, his father is more-or-less turning the country inside-out to find him. So he's on Atlatan?"

"I wonder if you know why exactly he would come here."

Thoth Amon's eyes narrowed as he thought about some possible reasons. "I'm honestly not sure. The barbarian's mind isn't an easy thing to understand, it looks like the same can be true of his son. I couldn't tell you why he would suddenly come to Atlatan and begin conquering lands. Pride, boredom, anything could be his reason." He then looked at the purple-robed sorcerer's eyes, which could be faintly seen glowing in the darkness of his hood. "You should keep an eye on him. I cannot say if he would interfere with our plans but from my experience with Conan that could probably turn out to be the case."

"I'll be as discreet as possible," the man said before clenching his fist in front of him, the small lights within his hood becoming more prominent. "We came too far to have one child ruin our plans. When the opportunity presents itself I'll have him eliminated." His body then relaxed as shadow returned to his hood. "That said I cannot compromise my position. It may take some time before a chance may present itself otherwise I fear that I may be discovered."

"Then wait before you make a move. I'll try to slow down the barbarian in his search for his son. If he and his other spawn get involved then our situation will get even more complicated."

The hooded man nodded. "Then that concludes our discussion."

"Aye, that it does," Thoth Amon said before smiling. "Until next time, o mighty-"

The spell was cut off as the image turned into smoke that receded to the edges of the mirror and disappearing, leaving only the hooded man's reflection.

He then began walking away from the mirror, the candle lights going out as he passed them, making the whole room dark again. The bright light from the door once again shone upon the darkness as the shadow of the hooded man could be seen. The shadow then seemingly began to change shape as the door closed, leaving darkness behind.

* * *

Siluca still wasn't sure what to think of the current situation. She just met a lord who by all appearances seemed to be the second Lustful Count, and Lord Theo was currently just chatting with him like they were lost friends. She could hear Theo explaining how he met her on his journey and how she helped him in taking a castle of an incompetent lord, which made the man look at her for a moment.

If nothing else, she had to admit that the man was handsome. Not to mention muscular to the point he looked like he could strangle an ox.

The table she was currently sitting at had a decent variety of food. Siluca saw better but this was pretty nice as well. She took a bite out of her steak and was quite pleased with the quality of the taste. The bread was nicely baked too.

She was positioned next to Moreno while Theo was next to Conn who sat at the head. Lassic David sat on Theo's other side while Aishela was on the other side of the table with Ba-ku next to her.

"Ah, I almost forgot," Conn said before motioning someone to come over. Siluca saw that it was that girl she saw when they were on the road, Valeria if she recalled. She brought a bottle of wine with her and poured some in Conn's glass without any trouble, a happy smile etched on her face. This time she was dressed in a maid outfit that was somewhere in the middle of modest and revealing.

Several other maids came and did the same thing everyone else. One of them turned to Siluca with a smile. "I hope you enjoy, my Lady," she said before retreating back to where she stood along with the other maids.

"Everything pleasant so far, Siluca?" came Ba-ku's voice from across Siluca.

This caused her to blink and turn her attention to her fellow mage. "Oh, well... yes, it's fine," Siluca said before taking a sip of her wine.

"Glad to hear it," Ba-ku said before taking a sip as well. "Your lord seems to enjoy himself, too. And he seems to get along with lord Conn as well."

Siluca saw that Conn began to laugh at something while Lassic annoying scratched his head, even Theo seemed to chuckle.

"Yeah, so it seems," she muttered before turning back to Ba-ku. "So, how are you acclimating to having a new lord?"

"Very well, actually. Lord Conn is quite capable if I say so myself."

"You aren't bothered by the fact he killed your previous lord and took you under his servitude?"

Ba-ku shrugged. "Lord Conn got the throne fair and square, and because of that it is my duty as a contracted mage to serve under him," he said. "Wouldn't the same be the case if lord Theo lost his lord status in a similar way? I honestly doubt the best student of the Mage Academy would forget such a thing."

Siluca slightly grumbled, not fond of such a thought. "Well, I'll use the best of my abilities to ensure that it doesn't happen. Lord Theo is quite a special case for a lord."

"Hmm, with such praise coming from you he must be something." Ba-ku then turned to Moreno. "And what of you? What are your thoughts on being under Theo Cornaro now?"

"Well, he is a pretty good lord. Shows quite a promise. And with Siluca on his side, I have nothing to worry."

"I see. On a different topic, Moreno, have you been keeping practice with your blade?"

The said mage looked at his rapier. "Well, I have. I tried not to have my skills dull."

"How about we test that theory?" Ba-ku asked. "After the meal, how about you meet me at the courtyard on the western side of the castle. Just for a friendly spar."

"Um, well," Moreno mumbled as if nervous about something. "Sure. We may meet then."

"Good to hear. I look forward to it," Ba-ku said as a small smirk creped on his face.

As the mages talked, Conn and Theo engaged in their own conversation.

"I must say, it's impressive that you got so far in such a short time," Conn complimented as he took a drink out of his cup. He may prefer ale and such but he knew to keep some formalities. And it didn't hurt to have some variety.

"You're giving me way too much credit, Conn," Theo said while rubbing the back of his head. "If it wasn't for Siluca I would be completely lost."

"I see," Conn said as he spared a small glance at her once again. "Though, I have to say that I like your taste."

Theo blinked, confused by the meaning. "What do you mean? My taste in what?"

"Women," was Conn's quick response.

Theo's eyes widened as he only now got what Conn was referring to. "Oh, no, no, it isn't like that!" Theo frantically said. "She is just my contracted mage!"

That got the attention of everyone on the table while Conn just raised an eyebrow, finding himself hard to believe those words.

"Is that so? The way she is dressed I assumed that you two were together," he said causing Siluca to blush as she was indeed dressed somewhat provocatively. Conn then smirked, deciding to tease him a little. "Well, if that's the case I'm sure you won't if I-"

He was interrupted when Aishela quickly rose from her seat and slammed her hand on the table, startling everyone at the table. "Don't you think about it!" she said as she gave Conn a glare while he only stared at her curiously. "She isn't a piece of meat, so don't speak about her like that!"

Siluca then became panicked and quickly tried to defuse the situation. "Aishela, calm down! You can't talk to a lord in such a disrespectful manner!" she scolded her adoptive sister. While she wasn't fond of being teased like that she also saw that Conn was close to Theo in some manner and she didn't want to cause an unnecessary rift.

"B-but Siluca-"

"Sit down, Aishela! Right now!" Siluca demanded, and Aishela slowly sat back with her hand hanging low. Siluca then rose and bowed her head towards Conn. "I'm so sorry about my sister's behavior, lord Conn. She can be a bit impulsive."

Conn just laughed and waved her concern off. "No need for apologies, I'm not offended. Besides," he said before looking at Aishela with a smirk. "I like that fire she has."

Aishela then slightly glared and turned her head.

"Oh, sorry for being late," came another woman's voice which turned out to be Ilya who was dressed in the same thing she wore at the engagement party. She then quickly took a seat next to Conn. "I'm sorry for my tardiness, my dear Conn. Those servants didn't heat the bath properly."

Siluca couldn't believe what she was seeing. This woman must have been the daughter of lord Borlan, the same one that Conn killed, yet here she sat like seemingly nothing happened and gazed at her father's killer with affection in her eyes.

"Did you really need to spend so long preparing?" Conn asked.

"But I wanted to look perfect for the occasion, Conn. Meeting another lord surely would require such preparations," Ilya said before looking at Theo and smiling. "Oh, so you're that lord. Theo Cornaro, right?"

"Um, yeah, that's me," Theo said.

"I'm honored to meet you. You're even better than what I'd thought you'd be," she teased causing Theo to nervously blush. Ilya then looked at Siluca and saw that she was lacking in certain curves. "Hmm, though your taste in women sure is a strange one."

Now it was Siluca's turn to blush, though this time it was combined with frustration. Aishela also sent a glare at the woman for insulting her sister.

Conn groaned and rubbed his forehead. The woman still acted like a spoiled princess sometimes. Perhaps he shouldn't have given her so much freedom.

* * *

The feast was finished and the people attending went to separate parts of the castle in groups. One of those groups was Ba-ku and Moreno, with Siluca standing at the side. The three of them were at the western courtyard, with the two men clashing swords on the grassy ground.

Moreno made several quick thrusting motions, all of which were easily parried by Ba-ku's own blade. He retaliated with several counterstrikes that forced Moreno backward while Ba-ku moved forward.

The two of them were actually among the very few mages who used weapons other than magic. Ba-ku decided even early in his education that he should pick up sword skills as another means of fighting since if they lose their wands they will have no magic to fall back on and would more-or-less be defenseless.

Not too long after, Moreno agreed with his way of thinking and also picked up sword fighting, with both of them being fond of the rapier. As they practiced it became obvious that Ba-ku was a more skilled swordsman through their spars.

And this time seemed to be no different.

After several more strikes from Ba-ku, the Kushite then twisted Moreno's blade before it was flung from his hands and the tip of Ba-ku's blade found itself near Moreno's throat, with the brown-haired mage giving a slight gasp.

"Hmm. Your technique hasn't dulled but it neither improved. I'm disappointed," Ba-ku commented before sheathing his sword.

"Hey, I'm still busy as a contracted mage. I don't get to practice as much as I used to," Moreno said, trying to defend his position.

"That didn't hinder my training. Surely even you could make the time."

Moreno sighed. "Yeah, well, I'm tired. I'll retreat to my quarters for the night," he said before picking up his rapier and sheathing it. "Thanks for the spar, it was fun."

Ba-ku watched his old classmate leave before he looked at Siluca who was standing on the side with her arms crossed. "I take it you want to speak to me."

"I do indeed," Siluca said. "I asked around for a bit, and from what I gathered the way the usurping succeeded was thanks to the secret escape route that was located in the cellar." She then approached Ba-ku until she was standing in front of him. "Something only a certain few would know about."

Ba-ku stood there unflinching. "Just what are you insinuating?"

"I also heard that lord Borlan wasn't a good lord, and someone dissatisfied with him would have gladly gotten rid of him, and would probably give the insurgents the necessary information on how to do so. The cellar being a particularly good choice."

Ba-ku gave her a slight smile. "As clever as always, Siluca," he said. "And do you have any evidence to support your theory? Perhaps the insurgents have gotten lucky and found the entrance by accident."

"You're playing a dangerous game, Ba-ku," she warned him. "The higher-ups are going to notice and you may be in trouble."

Ba-ku gave a slight chuckle at that. "And you won't? Weren't you contracted to count Villar Constance?" he asked making her eyes go wide in surprise. "Yes, I know about that. Imagine my surprise when I heard that you were contracted to a lord I never heard of before, something the Mage Academy wouldn't have allowed considering you are their best student. You were supposed to be sent to castle Unicorn, but decided to disobey and went with Theo Cornaro as your lord."

Her expression became serious and narrowed. "You know of count Villar's reputation. Can you really blame me?"

"Yes, I know of his reputation. Whether or not that reputation is correct or not is another thing, you violated the terms set to you and took a wow to someone else. My actions will raise several eyebrows, sure, but the higher-up will be suspicious at best while your actions were blatant and won't go unnoticed. You may be smart, but you can be shortsighted when it comes to some things. Your actions will have repercussions despite your best intentions."

Siluca stood there as she bit her lip in frustration. She knew that he was right. It was only a matter of time before her actions came to bite her but she was ready for the consequences when they do eventually arrive.

"At least I got contracted to a lord who legitimately cares about what he is doing," Siluca said with determination back to her voice. "And what of your new lord? From what I've seen his actions seem somewhat questionable. Especially with his attitude towards women."

"Since it was never brought up, I'll tell you. My lord, like myself, isn't from this continent. His hails from Aquilonia," he said making her look at him in surprise. "And if you aren't familiar with Aquilonian customs, it isn't unusual for lords to have concubines. Yes, I explained to him that it's not a usual custom in these lands but he doesn't see any harm in it if he does a good job of running the country."

"But still, to pick up a random woman from a tavern-"

"He offered her a better job. If she ends up in his bed, that's up to her. It's simple as that," he said. "I may not completely agree with him but lord Conn is competent and a good leader. He has yet to prove me otherwise."

Siluca thought about it for a bit. Maybe she judged him a bit too early if what Ba-ku says is true. She has heard of the Hyborian continent and how they have different customs and traditions there. And others in Atlatan had similar tastes, such as lady Edokia of Haman and her multiple husbands.

"And what is the situation with lord Borlan's daughter? Why does she swoon over him if he killed her father?"

"She honestly didn't care as long as someone could make her live in luxury, and lord Conn fits her taste in men," Ba-ku answered. "Trust me, I had to secretly escort her to _meet_ some of them."

"Does your lord know?"

"He does. And he doesn't really care."

"Wow, looks like lord Conn is also quite a peculiar man."

"You can say that again."

* * *

On the other side of the castle, Conn and Theo stood on a balcony looking over the sunset.

"Conn, the letter that was sent to us said that you wanted to make an alliance between us, correct?"

"It is. Why are you asking?"

Theo sighed. "Well, to be honest, we may be in deep trouble. Lady Marinne Kreische may end up sending her forces against us and I'm not sure if we will be able to fight them."

"You need not speak any further. I will come to your aid if that happens," Conn said. While he may sound too eager he was sure that his forces would be able to at least assist in Theo's escape if nothing else. Not to mention other allies would come to their aid since such actions would be considered an attack on the Union by the Alliance.

Theo gave him a smile. "So does mean we're making this alliance?"

"Crom and Mitra, you can be so dense. Of course, it does!" Conn said before extending arm. "How about we seal the deal with a handshake?"

Theo took his hand and they shook, sealing the alliance between their two castles before it becomes official on paper. Then Conn gave a slightly harder squeeze which made Theo once again wince in pain.

"Man, you're strong," Theo said before rubbing his arm. "I'm starting to think you may be a hazard to my health.

That comment made Conn laugh, and not too long after Theo joined as well.

* * *

**AN: And that is it for now. This chapter was mostly character interactions but I hope I made it enjoyable.**

**And remember to read my other stories, I assure you they are worth your time. And leave a review, they are great motivators.**

**See you next time!**


	6. 6 In the Night

The Prince's War

**AN: Well, finally decided to update this one. About time, too. I hope the wait was worth it.**

**Now to reviews.**

**Caspian123: Yes, him being the lord of the Dark Forest was a pivotal point, but I think I can still preserve that. And yeah, there is no way that Conan or his sons would be okay with being under the direct rule of anyone.**

**mpowers45: It will be revealed eventually. You'll have to see if he will sleep with her. And sorry, but I don't do soundtracks.**

**Guest: They could be made, but except for Skyrim I'm not really a fan of those franchises.**

**Dracus6: Thanks for the suggestions, but I'm not really into requests right now.**

**Evowizard25: Knowing Conan, Conn should have been raised like that. (not sure what you're referencing there)**

* * *

6 In the Night

_Images of gallies passed, followed by some sort of gladiator arena, a battlefield filled with hundreds of corpses._

_A tall, black-haired man was riding on his mighty stallion through the streets of a huge city, greeted by the people who appeared to adore him. _

_Then flashed images of a snake's head, then several of them, hissing with their forked tongues. Then came a deafening silence that almost appeared to be alive, later were two men, one the same as the once before while the other was unknown, fighting many soldiers on stone stairs._

_A shadow then appeared over them, one that had red eyes that glowed in the dark._

_ "__Ka Nama Kaa Lajerama!"_

Conn's eyes shot wide open again as he took a slightly swifter intake of breath. He was currently in the bed of his quarters in the castle Valiant. He groaned as he shifted within the red silk sheets that covered him.

Once again he had a strangely vivid dream, and of the same man as before. He still found it strange with how much the man resembled his own father, though Conn could see that it wasn't. And whatever that city was it definitely wasn't Tarantia, as he Conn knew the Aquilonian capital like the back of his hand. And it also didn't resemble any of the cities he visited with his father and family.

And what were those words that once again showed up at the end? They weren't any language that he heard of. Not Stygian, Hyrkanian or any like that. And those words sounded quite peculiar.

"Ka Nama Kaa Lajerama," the young prince subconsciously spoke the words out loud.

"My lord?" a feminine voice spoke next to him, causing him to gaze down at the nude form of Valeria as she looked up to him with tired eyes. "Should we get up?"

Conn saw that the sun wasn't out yet, showing that he was awakened early. He then put his fingers on Valeria's chin. "You can rest longer, you deserved it. I'll take a little walk through the castle."

"I… I hope you won't absent for too long, my lord," she said which made Conn grin.

He leaned down and took her in a deep kiss before separating. "Not in a thousand years," he said. "Now, rest. I won't be long."

Valeria nodded with a smile on her face before lying back on the bed, falling asleep fairly quickly due to this bed being more comfortable than the one she had in the village.

Conn then took a robe but only opted to wrap it around his waist, and he didn't take any footwear with him, wanting to actually feel the stone beneath his feet. He then walked out of his room and closed the door, several guards standing there for protection.

After passing the hallway that led to his room, he was met by someone he didn't expect. Ilya was standing next to the door frame, her arms crossed while her face sported an irritated look. She was also dressed in a white, almost see-through nightgown.

"And what are you doing here this early?" Conn asked.

"I couldn't sleep," she said irritated.

Conn shrugged. "Don't blame me; you are the one who decided not to be in my quarters for the night."

"Can you blame me? Do you really expect me to share a bed with some common whore?" she said as if that was the most obvious conclusion to come up with.

Conn shook his head before he began walking, with Ilya at first looking confused before she swiftly followed him.

"Why would you even consider having her here?" Ilya asked. "You are a lord of this castle; you should surround yourself with noblewomen, not have a mere tavern wench sullying your sheets."

Conn then gave a groan. Ilya was definitely beautiful and a wonderful lay, but she could be really annoying sometimes.

"Because I don't share the views of some stuck-up nobles," Conn said in a strong voice. "I pick whomever I want, I'm not motivated by the amount of money they possess. Besides, Valeria lasted longer than you did from all the time we 'sullied' the bed sheets."

That made Ilya's eyes widen in shock before looking at Conn flabbergasted. "My dear Conn, you surely can't be serious. I mean… a common woman-"

"Enough," Conn interrupted. "If you want to prove you can do better, then go to my chambers and wait for me there alongside Valeria." He gave her a knowing smirk. "After that, we'll see which one of you can do better. And do not try to do anything to her. I'll know and there will be repercussions."

Ilya gave a sigh. "As you wish, my dear Conn. I'll await for you there." She gave a small bow before walking back towards Conn's room.

Conn then resumed his walk through the castle, walking towards one of the balconies. He began feeling the cool air on his skin, a soothing feeling he welcomed, which showed he was getting close to one.

He soon arrived at one of the balconies and was a bit surprised to see that some else was there as well. It was that woman who raised her voice at the dinner table, Aishela if he remembered correctly.

Conn let a smile grace his lips as he looked at her. She didn't have her armor on, dressed in simple black short pants, and some cloth of the same color wrapped around her torso, covering her breasts.

"Well, I certainly didn't expect to have company here," Conn said which caught Aishela by surprise before she looked at him, her eyes slightly widening at seeing him before slightly narrowing. "Though, I certainly don't mind at all."

"I was just leaving," she said in what he presumed was supposed to be a neutral tone but it wasn't very convincing.

Conn quickly put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her, not wanting to have such a woman leave so soon.

"Now, now, there is no need to hurry," Conn said, the smile never leaving his face. "Your presence lights up this castle even more than these stars in the sky. Please, let me be graced with your person for a little while."

"Well, aren't you a real charmer? Do you always do that? Appearing half-naked to a woman and speak sweet nothings into her ear before plowing her?" Aishela asked in irritation, but then she remembered who was the man she was talking to and the informal way she was speaking so she tried to salvage it. "Um, my lord?"

Conn couldn't help but laugh at her awkwardness. It added to her charm. "Oh, no need for such formalities. Here, you can speak to me however you wish, I welcome it, in fact," he said. "And to answer your questions, no I don't usually do that. This is simply something that I was in the mood for, that's all." He then cupped her chin. "Besides, who wouldn't-"

He was interrupted as she suddenly put a hand on his chest and roughly slammed him into the stone wall of the balcony.

"Listen to me," she said harshly as she looked at him with narrowed eyes, her hand holding him in place. "I'm not in the mood for your flirtations, so keep them for yourself."

Conn slightly groaned, before looking down which caused him to chuckle. "I had no idea you were so bold, Aishela," he said in a teasing tone.

Aishela raised an eyebrow before she looked down, after which she blushed heavily. The cloth that covered his nether regions was completely gone, making her see him completely naked and just how well-endowed he was.

Conn then quickly grabbed Aishela and spun her around, causing her to yelp slightly before wrapping an arm around her neck and the other around her waist, holding her body against his with her back to his front.

"You know, you don't have that much clothes either," he whispered in the woman's ear. "We could easily let ourselves go here, let our passion speak through the rest of the night."

Aishela moved her leg behind his and quickly tripped him before slamming him down to the floor, with her knee places on Conn's stomach and her hand holding his neck.

"Will you stop it already?!"

Conn grinned. "No."

He quickly flipped her to the other side and put himself on top of her. He really began enjoying this situation.

"Come now, you can't tell me you don't enjoy this as much as me."

She groaned before bringing her legs back and kicking him away from her, but Conn was nimble enough to land on his feet. Aishela then got up and went to throw several punches at him, which Conn began evading before grabbing both of her arms, causing the two to struggle.

Conn smiled. "You are strong, I like that in a woman," he said.

"Oh, really? I don't exactly see that in any of the women you have," she countered harshly.

"My tastes are flexible," he answered before pushing her away slightly. "Tell me, what is that you find so repulsive about me?"

"You mean other than the fact that you are a shameless womanizer?" Aishela asked rhetorically, her scowl never leaving.

After a brief silence, Conn answered. "Actually, yes. I have no idea why what you accuse me of makes me so vile."

Aishela was shocked to hear this. "You can't be serious."

Conn couldn't help but sigh. He hated going through the same process of explaining again. "Look, from where I'm from, there is nothing wrong with taking more than one woman, such are the laws of Aquilonia. Just because you people have a different view, doesn't mean that I should be forced to uphold them. As I said before, me having multiple women doesn't contribute to anything negative in my ruling of this land." He crossed his arms. "I still run it as well as any decent lord could, so I'm sorry, but I really don't care if you have a problem with a man having a harem."

Aishela stared at him for a few moments. She really did fail to take into account that he is from a different country with different world views. There was no blaming him for that, but the feeling of unease still couldn't just leave her.

"Fine," she murmured. "I honestly don't care anymore." Glancing down again, she blushed before quickly grabbing that cloth that was near her before turning her head and offering the cloth. "And please put this back on!"

Conn gave a small laugh. "As you wish," he said before taking the cloth and wrapping it around his waist. He gave her the signal which made her peek before she fully turned back. "Just so you know, I won't take your sister. She already has a man, and I respect that."

"What?! Siluca and Theo are not-!"

"Aishela, please," Conn interrupted with an unconvinced voice. "You know as well as I do that they will eventually end up in the same bed. Protect Siluca all you like, that won't change that fact."

Aishela's shoulders slumped. She didn't want to believe it, but a part of her knew that Conn is right. But Siluca was still her little sister and there was no way she wasn't going to be protective.

"Anyway, I'm returning to my bedroom. I think my little walk was really eventful," Conn said as he walked passed the purple-haired woman. "I look forward to seeing you again."

Aishela only glanced at him before her gaze was turned towards the many stars above, as she began contemplating. That contemplation quickly came to an end when she gave a slight yelp after feeling someone pinch her ass. She angrily turned back to Conn who was just walking away, only sparing her a slight glance with a smirk before just walking forward.

Aishela scoffed as she saw him retreat, before turning back. In slight paranoia, she turned back to see if Conn would come back to pinch her again. She had to admit, the man surely had balls. After that thought passed her mind, she blushed heavily as she remembered that she actually got a good look at them, and saw that he really did have some balls.

She quickly shook her head. "Ugh, that man!" she exclaimed before rubbing her forehead. She can't remember the last time someone got into her skin as much as he did.

Aishela's brain went back to properly thinking before she realized she actually assaulted a lord, and she counted her lucky stars that he seemed not to mind. Hopefully Siluca won't hear of this embarrassing encounter.

She then looked at her hands, recalling the sensation she felt when they struggled. Aishela had to admit that if anything, Conn was at least strong. She herself was far stronger than normal but Conn seemed so as well with how he successfully held her back. True, she wasn't using her full strength but neither was he.

But in the end, she was still conflicted about how to think of him. He was strong and competent, a great warrior in his own right, but his habits still made Aishela pause. She knew how the lords acted, but they were usually very slimy and corrupt, and Conn didn't appear to have that problem.

Sparing one last glance back she confirmed that he was gone. She sighed before deciding to come back to bed as well.

* * *

When morning came, Theo and his entourage were just about packed and ready to leave. Conn was also there along with Ba-ku, Martin, Baltor, and Ilya. The carriages were ready, the horses were fed. There was still one thing to confirm

Siluca walked up to Conn, her hands in front of her. "My lord, will you accompany us?" she asked. "Marinne Kreische will no doubt end up attacking us, killing lord Theo as well." She then bowed her head. "Your help would be most invaluable."

Martin smiled. "I don't see why not. We would certainly have the manpower to oppose her."

"But is this really a smart idea?" Baltor asked his friend. "I mean, lady Marinne is the head of the Factory Alliance. If we anger her, then her sights will set on us."

Ba-ku walked up next to his lord. "Lord Conn, I would advise against deploying any troops right now. Doing so would warn lady Kreische about what we are planning to do. We may be strong in number, but the Waldrind knights would give us a lot of trouble with how strong they are."

Conn gave it a thought before turning back to Siluca. "I'll have to take Ba-ku's advice. Right now, sending my soldiers with would gain us unnecessary attention, and a head-on wouldn't be the wisest course of action."

Siluca began looking downtrodden as Lassic then decided to chime in. "So, you won't help us?"

Conn smirked. "Well, I never said that now did I? What I said is that we won't send any of our troops with you. We do plan to help, be we plan to be discreet."

"Our soldiers will be deployed at a later date, so our forces can have the element of surprise. With the Waldrind at her disposal, as well as the forces of the king of Savis, it's the logical course of action. If you return empty-handed, then it would seem as though you weren't able to get any help."

"And with our alliance not being public then Marrine Kreische will be none the wiser," Siluca said, seeing the logic in their words. "But one thing. How will you know when lady Marrine decides to attack? How will you decide when to employ your troops to our aid."

"Tell me, Siluca," Ba-ku began. "Who is the contracted mage for lady Marrine?"

Siluca slightly bit her lip before looking down in what seemed to be shame. "Aubest Meletes. My father."

"Indeed," Ba-ku said. "But while you know him as a father, I know him as my mentor. You see, I know how he thinks, and lady Kreische is no doubt going to follow his advice. Trust me, we will know when they plan to attack."

Theo then approached Conn and looked him directly in the eyes with determination. "Can we count on you for help?"

Conn smirked once again. "Of course you can. Marrine Kreische will feel the might of two new lords."

Theo smiled. "Thank you, Conn," he said, dropping any formality.

"Any time, Theo," Conn said. "Now go, you still have your own lands to govern. And don't die before I can help you. I'll drag you back from hell and kill you myself."

Theo couldn't help but chuckle. "I'll try not to," he said before walking over to his carriage.

As Aishela began walking away she was stopped by a hand to her shoulder. She looked to see it was Conn who stopped her. "I hope our little encounter last night didn't bother you too much," he said silently, knowing she would like to keep it private.

"It's fine," she simply said.

"Take care of yourself. I would like to see you again."

She gave him a slight smile. He really didn't seem so bad after all. "We'll see. Bye."

And she joined the rest of her group in the carriage which then began departing from castle Valiant.

Ilya then approached Conn with an annoyed look on her face. "Really? That brute of a woman as well?"

"I fail to see the problem," Conn said. Like his father, he liked strong women. With his own aunt being one it would be strange if he didn't. "Besides, I'm pretty sure the events from last night taught you not to judge."

Ilya scoffed before looking away with a blush of embarrassment. She hated to admit it, but during their… session last night, Valeria did end up outperforming her. It was still a hard fact to get over.

"Whatever, I'll be in my quarters," Ilya said before departing.

With Theo's carriage disappearing from sight, Conn walked over to Ba-ku.

"Tell me, are you sure about the timing of the attack?"

"Please, have some confidence in me, my lord," Ba-ku said. "As I said to Siluca, Aubest Meletes was my mentor and I know how he thinks. The time they would take to prepare and gather their forces have been taken into calculation, and I'm sure my timing is correct. We will be able to assist Theo Cornaro in his time of need."

"I trust you," Conn said making Ba-ku smile. "Still, are they really that desperate? Won't anyone else help them?"

"Well, there is a chance that lord Villar Constance, Marrine's cousin, could also be of assistance. I'm sure that Siluca will at least ask for his help, but I'm not certain how he will respond."

"Even if he doesn't, we will be ready to strike against Marrine Kreische," Conn said. "And if we are lucky, we just may end up defeating her, dealing a major blow to the Factory Alliance!" The young prince couldn't help but grin. "Ha! That will be quite a victory, won't it?"

"Indeed, my Lord."

* * *

**AN: And that is it for now. This chapter was a bit on the short side for such a long wait but I hope I made it enjoyable.**

**And remember to read my other stories, I assure you they are worth your time. And leave a review, they are great motivators.**

**See you next time!**


End file.
